18-year-old Victorian Produces Independent Film About Boxing, Women’s Fight

(J.R. Ortega/Victoria Advocate)  Natasha Verma is everything like the character in her independent film "Hardy."

Verma, an 18-year-old Victoria native, pushes for excellence as an independent young woman.

Having already graduated from the University of Texas with double bachelor's degrees in broadcast journalism and premedical biology at 17, she is now wrapping up her master's in broadcast journalism at Columbia University in New York City.

Heather Hardy, 31, the female boxer in her film, also fights for excellence in her craft as an independent young woman. She fights not only against her opponents but also against those who believe boxing is still a man's sport and that women deserve less pay.

The movie, which is in production, is about Hardy but will resonate with women everywhere fighting for a fair chance, and that is Verma's goal.

Right now, Verma is gathering more money through Rockethub, a crowd-funding website. She has surpassed her goal of $10,000 but is still looking for more contributors to not only help fund the project but also to learn about the power of women boxers.

"I definitely want the younger people and people all across the board to relate to it," said Verma, who now lives in New York City. "I'm not only just targeting females who support and box. ... I want them to get inspired."

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