BENGALURU: Dressed in white laced top, army green pencil skirt and sparkly silver shoes, five-time consecutive World Amateur Boxing champion MC Mary Kom talked about her girly side and jokes about being a newbie at Rajya Sabha in a chat with City Express.
She was in the city to promote the tenth edition of Bengaluru Midnight Marathon organised by the Rotary Bangalore IT Corridor that is scheduled to take place on December 10. The run will raise funds for government schools. Excerpts from the interview with the Olympic bronze medalist, where she confesses to finding MPs “irritating”.
Are you planning to contest the upcoming Manipur Assembly Polls as a campaigner for BJP?
Well, I will think about that later. I have not made a decision to contest as of now.
Will you be taking part in the upcoming Olympics 2018?
I am sure about this one. The thing about me is that I don’t give up. My practice for it has already begun and I seek support from my country.
How do you feel inside the parliament sessions?
Maybe because I am new there, I constantly think to myself, if I should go out or stay in.
After the release of Mary Kom movie in 2014, there was a bit of controversy about Priyanka Chopra playing your role, because some people believed that a Northeastern face would be more appropriate. Your comment?
The movie is good and everything they have shown is accurate. But they have shown only 10 per cent of the kind of struggles I faced in my career. I am very happy with the movie as it is. People have got to know me through it. Before the movie came on-screen I was a five-time-world-champion and yet only few people recognised me. It was only after the movie that people came to know me well. Still some don’t recognise me when I go out for shopping maybe because of my Northeast features since our faces look similar.
Inside the boxing ring you are a fierce fighter but at the same time you love dressing up and wearing sparkly shoes. Do many people know that?
(Laughs) Some people who are close to me definitely know that and may be some people have noticed me. I love that I am a woman and I like to show that with nice clothes, shoes and make-up but mostly we have no time when we are undergoing training. Earlier I could not afford lovely clothes so I did not wear, now that I can, I definitely enjoy.
What is your favourite past time?
I love listening to music. I do my chores.