A Netflix Documentary Will Have You Rooting For An Indian Archer
Ladies First (2017)
A Quick Film Review
"If I respond with my arrows, they'll never forget." Team India archer Deepika Kumari opens Ladies First with a rebuke against misogynistic criticisms of her career in sport. While the 40-minute documentary from 2017, now available on streaming channel Netflix, never fully leans into that angle of sexism, it does present a compelling case to root for Kumari's potential success in the Olympics.
A Quick Film Review
"If I respond with my arrows, they'll never forget." Team India archer Deepika Kumari opens Ladies First with a rebuke against misogynistic criticisms of her career in sport. While the 40-minute documentary from 2017, now available on streaming channel Netflix, never fully leans into that angle of sexism, it does present a compelling case to root for Kumari's potential success in the Olympics.
While Ladies First acknowledges the gender role expectations and frustrations Kumari witnessed growing up - her mother worked and received beatings from extended family as criticsm - the more pressing point of her upbringing was the incredibly challenging poverty her family suffered in Ratu Village.
And to escape that poverty, and alleviate being 'a burden' in the home, Kumari initiates a stay at an archery camp. A year later, in 2006 and at age 13, her entry into the well-regarded Tata Academy officially made her a professional. And she certainly made a name for herlsef - winning a cadet world title in 2009 and then the Commonwealth Games in 2010.
By London 2012, Kumari was the number one-ranked women's archer in the world. But there is where her Olympic bad luck started. She loses unexpectedly in the first round in London, and, as Ladies First starts, has turned her attention to Rio 2016, describing multiple times her "dream" of winning a medal for Team India.
Added to the mix is the fact that, despite India's population, the team has never had a women's gold medalist at the Games - in any sport. In fact, the first female medalist of any kind was weightlifter Karnam Malleswari with bronze at Sydney 2000. So, external expectations for success is also high.
As the Rio Games approach, she sets a world record in team trials, but also encounters a shoulder injury in the last months. The injury, and probably the subsequent over-thinking, sees her defeated in the 1/8 elimination round. Seven months later, and as Ladies First is in production, the loss still weighs heavily. But Tokyo 2020 is next...
This documentary ends there, on that hopeful note. But the disappointment continues, as Kumari would stumble again, losing in the quarterfinals to eventual champion An San in Tokyo. And as of this writing, she's currently ranked 184th globally and only tenth among Indian women. But perhaps lessons learned in mental approach to competition can spur her to make a successful medal run, at last.
I'm one fan rootiong for her.
And to escape that poverty, and alleviate being 'a burden' in the home, Kumari initiates a stay at an archery camp. A year later, in 2006 and at age 13, her entry into the well-regarded Tata Academy officially made her a professional. And she certainly made a name for herlsef - winning a cadet world title in 2009 and then the Commonwealth Games in 2010.
By London 2012, Kumari was the number one-ranked women's archer in the world. But there is where her Olympic bad luck started. She loses unexpectedly in the first round in London, and, as Ladies First starts, has turned her attention to Rio 2016, describing multiple times her "dream" of winning a medal for Team India.
Added to the mix is the fact that, despite India's population, the team has never had a women's gold medalist at the Games - in any sport. In fact, the first female medalist of any kind was weightlifter Karnam Malleswari with bronze at Sydney 2000. So, external expectations for success is also high.
As the Rio Games approach, she sets a world record in team trials, but also encounters a shoulder injury in the last months. The injury, and probably the subsequent over-thinking, sees her defeated in the 1/8 elimination round. Seven months later, and as Ladies First is in production, the loss still weighs heavily. But Tokyo 2020 is next...
This documentary ends there, on that hopeful note. But the disappointment continues, as Kumari would stumble again, losing in the quarterfinals to eventual champion An San in Tokyo. And as of this writing, she's currently ranked 184th globally and only tenth among Indian women. But perhaps lessons learned in mental approach to competition can spur her to make a successful medal run, at last.
I'm one fan rootiong for her.
RSS Feed