Priyanka Chopra's Mary Kom co-star Lin Laishram says it was 'heartbreaking' to see her in title role

Axone actor Lin Laishram has said that it was 'heartbreaking' to see someone not from the North East be cast as Mary Kom in the boxer's 2014 biopic. The film starred Priyanka Chopra in the title role, for which she won several accolades. Lin herself featured in a supporting role.

In an interview, Lin Laishram said that she would've loved to play the part herself, but would have been equally happy had someone from the community been cast as Mary Kom.

She told Bollywood Hungama, "As an actor, that self-centred egoistic actor tells me that I should have been... But it could have been anybody from the North East. We have many great actors. I want to be generous here, and say that there were many, many actors who could have done this. But the casting, and the whole team decided on someone else. It's heartbreaking, but we are coming along, and I hope that this does not happen again."

She continued, "A lot of times, the casting is stereotyped, and we are stuck to a very small genre of our own. That's also stereotype, and not in the best manner. So when a script like that comes up, from our place, it would be great to be given to somebody who is more eligible and who's close to that land, because it helps."

Lin spoke about her issues with the casting of Mary Kom in a recent interview with the Free Press Journal. "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..." she had said.