Lin Laishram says a girl from north-east could've been cast as 'Mary Kom' in the biopic

Manipuri model-actor Lin Laishram recently addressed discrimination during casting for the critically-acclaimed biographical film, Mary Kom. In one of her latest interviews, the 35-year-old said that a girl from Manipur or North-East would have been a better casting choice to represent the boxer, who also hails from the Northeastern state, rather than Priyanka Chopra. However, Lin also admitted that The White Tiger actor worked hard for the 2014 film and spent hours to achieve her Mary Kom look in the film.

Lin Laishram questions makers' decision to cast a non-Northeastern girl as Mary Kom

Almost seven years after director Omung Kumar's sport biographical film, Mary Kom, hit the silver screen, actor Lin Laishram has questioned the makers' decision to cast Priyanka Chopra in Mary Kom. The Om Shanti Om actor was also a part of the Mary Kom cast and essayed the role of "Bem-Bem" in this National Award-winning film. Produced under the Bhansali Productions and Viacom18 Motion Pictures banners, the 2014 film is loosely based on one of the most renowned female boxers of India, i.e. Mary Kom. 

The Omung Kumar directorial showcases the journey of Mary, a farmer's daughter in Manipur, who pursues boxing and goes on to become a five-time world champion. While the film, as well as Priyanka Chopra's performance as Mary Kom, was highly lauded by netizens and critics alike, Lin recently raised concerns over the representation of North India in Bollywood. In an interview with Free Press Journal, she stated that a girl from Manipur or the North East could have been cast to represent the Northeastern boxer in Mary Kom. Although she didn't have any complaints about Priyanka's ability to do justice to Mary Kom's role in the film, hailing from Manipur herself, Lin expects "inclusivity" of Northeastern actors in the Hindi film industry. 

Furthermore, Lin Laishram shared an example of the newly-released series The Family Man 2 and praised the makers for their decision of casting actors from Tamil Nadu to represent their ethnicity and local culture. She added when the South Indian culture can be accepted by everyone then so should be the case with North East and its culture. For the unversed, apart from Mary Kom, Lin has also starred in famous Hindi films including Om Shanti On, Urmika and Rangoon to name a few. 

IMAGE: LIN LAISHRAM'S INSTAGRAM