Manipur actor Lin Laishram thanks Priyanka Chopra for acknowledging wrong casting in Mary Kom: ‘She is gracious’

Manipur actor Lin Laishram, who talked about lack of diversity in the casting of the film Mary Kom, has now appreciated actor Priyanka Chopra’s acknowledgement of it in a recent interview. In the film, Priyanka was seen in the title role, while Lin featured in a supporting role.

During a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Priyanka opened up about her role in Mary Kom. She has said, “When I played Mary Kom, I was very sceptical taking it on in the beginning because she was a living, breathing icon and she made place for so many female athletes. Plus, I look nothing like her. She comes from the northeast of India and I am from northern India and we physically didn’t look alike. In hindsight, the part should have probably gone to someone from the northeast.”

Now, in a new statement, Lin called Priyanka “gracious and brave” for talking about the missing diversity factor in the film. She said, “It’s really gracious and brave of Priyanka to finally accept this and put it out there. My admiration for her has only grown immensely. Inclusivity I feel is very hard to understand unless you are excluded. With the OTT gaining prominence, it seems that merit and authenticity are slowly getting the due importance that they deserve. I am very thankful for this welcome change and looking forward to good work coming our way.”

Last year, while speaking to Free Press Journal, Lin said, “I admire Priyanka for her hard work, she really put in a lot of hours in order to look like Mary Kom but I always felt that casting is an important step in film. I believe in authenticity and inclusivity, so a girl from Manipur or the North East could have been surely cast to represent us…When it comes to playing an achiever from the Northeast a non-North Eastern person is chosen as seen in Mary Kom. On the other hand, why not cast people from Northeast also as normal Indians in all walks of life which we are.” 

Mary Kom was released in 2014, the film won the National Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Priyanka also received several awards for her performance, including the Screen Award, Producers Guild Film Award and Stardust Award.

Read More: Priyanka Chopra says ‘someone from the northeast’ should have played Mary Kom: ‘I look nothing like her’

Lin appeared in the 2007 film Om Shanti Om in a cameo role. Fans also saw her in the 2015 film Umrika opposite Prateik Babbar, in Rangoon (2017) and Axone in 2019.