Lin Laishram Praises Priyanka Chopra For Acknowledging Wrong Casting In Mary Kom

Manipur actor Lin Laishram recently praised actor Priyanka Chopra for acknowledging that someone else from a more appropriate background should play Mary Kom. Lin who featured in Mary Kom in a supporting role, during a recent interview opened up about the lack of diversity in casting.

Lin called Priyanka "gracious and brave". 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."

Notably, while talking to Vanity Fair, Priyanka had talked about her role in Mary Kom a nd 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," she added.

Mary Kom, in recent year, has been making headlines as an example of the lack of diversity in the cast in Bollywood. The film was released in 2014 and went on to win the National Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Coming back to Lin, she has also been part of films like 2007 release Om Shanti Om, 2015 film Umrika, 2017's Rangoon and Axone in 2019.