The ups and downs of the life of boxer Sarita Devi will soon be on screen in the form of I Rise, a documentary by Manipur filmmaker Borun Thokchom.

Produced by Films Division, Mumbai, it will be released for public viewing soon.

Sarita Devi, an eight-time Asian Championships medallist has seen quite a few highs and lows in her career.

In the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, the spunky pugilist refused to accept the bronze medal after protesting against the match decision.

The 52-minute documentary starts with this 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 isn’t repeated with other boxers,” Thokchom told The Telegraph.

Thokchom added that in spite of performing so well over the years, Sarita is somehow underrated and he felt the need to highlight her life.

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

The filmmaker has also tried to highlight the efforts of Sarita Devi to encourage 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 in Manipur to a poor family. She was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2009. Sarita and Mary Kom, contemporaries from Manipur, have an exceptional record in women’s boxing in the last two decades.

Last year, she won gold in the India Open Boxing tournament here and dedicated the victory to her mother who had passed away the previous year.

Thokchom is a national award-winning filmmaker. His film, The Silent Poet, has received the national award in 2011.