Sarita Devi | File Photo

The inspiring story of Indian boxer Sarita Devi will soon be featured in a documentary film produced by Films Division, Mumbai. The documentary – I Rise – made by Manipur filmmaker Borun Thokchom will soon be released for public viewing.

Life of Sarita Devi, an eight-time Asian Championships medallist, has been filled with ups and downs. Many feel that she hasn’t got the due she should have been.

One of the highly discussed negative points of her career was in 2014 Asian Games in Incheon when she refused to accept the bronze medal after protesting against the match decision.

The 52-minute documentary starts with that incident. “She (Sarita) says that she was very much aware that she will be expelled from boxing but she was protesting so that this kind of injustice does not repeat to other boxers,” director Thokchom told The News Mill.

Thokchom further said that in spite of the fact that she was performing so well over the years, Sarita is somehow underrated and he felt the need to highlight her life through this documentary.

“I felt that Sarita is somehow neglected even though she is equally doing well like Mary Ksarita Deviom. So, as a filmmaker, I felt that it’s my duty to highlight her life and her struggle,” he said.

I Rise Sarita – The News Mill
Poster of the documentary film on Sarita Devi

The filmmaker has also tried to highlight the efforts of Sarita Devi to uplift the aspiring sportspersons. “In spite of her fame and glory, she is passionate about empowering people who are marginalised and runs an academy that trains and encourages destitute children to create an identity through boxing,” he added.

Sarita was born in Thoubal Khunou in Thoubal district of Manipur to a poor family. She was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2009. Sarita and Mary Kom – both contemporaries from Manipur have an exceptional record in women boxing in the last two decades.

Last year she won gold in the India Open Boxing tournament in Guwahati which she dedicated to her mother who had passed away in the previous year.

Thokchom is a national award winning filmmaker. His film ‘The Silent Poet’ has received national award in 2011.

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About Abdul Gani

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Abdul Gani is a Guwahati-based journalist