'Mary Kom should have probably gone to someone from the northeast, but I was...': Priyanka Chopra

The 2014 release Mary Kom went on to become a career-defining moment in Priyanka Chopra Jonas' career. In the Omung Kumar directorial, the actor played the titular role based on the boxer Mary Kom. However, when she was finally cast to play the lead, the actor faced a lot of criticism for playing a North-Eastern girl despite being a North Indian actor. Recalling the same, Priyanka addressed the criticism during a recent interaction with Vanity Fair. 

The actor stated that she was hesitant to take on the role of Mary Kom at first since she was a genuine, breathing icon who paved the way for so many female athletes. Plus, Priyanka doesn't resemble her in the least. The actor said that they didn't appear alike physically because Mary Kom is from the northeast of India and she is from the north. In retrospect, PeeCee agreed that the part should have probably gone to someone from the northeast. 

But as an actor, the Quantico actor was just itching to tell her narrative because Mary Kom had such an impact on her as a woman, an Indian woman, and an athlete. Thus, when the filmmakers demanded she do the film, the actor went ahead and did so.

In talking about her training to get into the skin of the character, Priyanka revealed that she visited Mary, stayed in her home, met her children, and her husband. The actor had to train for over five months to master the sport, which she revealed is not easy by any means, and also had to physically transform her body in order to achieve an athlete's physique. 

Priyanka went on to say that physically, it was quite difficult, and emotionally, it was extremely difficult. As the actor didn't look like Mary physically, she opted to take on her spirit. Thus, she spent a lot of time with her so that the athlete could educate Priyanka about her decisions and why she made them.

Saiwyn Quadras wrote the screenplay for Mary Kom, produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Sanjay Leela Bhansali.