Former Miss World Priyanka Chopra, who plays the pride of Indian boxing, Olympian Mary Kom, in her first biopic, says she hopes that she takes home her own prize belt: of being a Bollywood game-changer.
“I want to be fearless in every film I do,” said Chopra in an interview with tabloid!.
“When I took on Aitraaz, I played a negative character in my first year in Bollywood films. Everyone told me that it was a bad idea to play a vamp. When I took on Fashion, everybody told me that no one will watch female-centric movies, but it went on to do so incredibly well.”
The 32-year-old actress couldn’t have chosen a better platform than director Omung Kumar’s Mary Kom, which chronicles the life of a North-East Indian boxing champion who fights against all odds to win a medal at the 2012 London Olympics. It has all the ingredients of an honest-to-goodness biopic — there’s pain, sacrifice and triumph in equal measure.
“The story of Mary Kom will resonate with every Indian... She’s an icon and an example of a woman who balances her home and profession with aplomb.”
As her film gears up for its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday (and its UAE release on the same day), tabloid! spoke to Chopra about her role, breaking stereotypes and channelling her grief over her father’s death into her work. Excerpts from the interview:
What was the process of transformation like for Mary Kom? It’s not very glamorous.
What’s glamour and how do you define it? Is it about wearing fashionable clothes or wearing make-up? For me, the glamorous element of Mary Kom was the prospect of transforming myself into someone I thought I had never been. I never thought I would play an athlete like Mary Kom in a film. In my eyes, it was extremely glamorous to wear my wounds as my medals, and believe me, I still have a few of them. Today, I feel like a warrior. If you see my knuckles, I am scarred. Before I am an actor, before I am a star and before anything I do, I am an achiever. I look at this as a huge opportunity to play someone who has achieved so much — not just for our country but also for womanhood.
What was the preparation like?
I didn’t watch Million Dollar Baby because Mary Kom is a different film. I watched one boxing film every day, but what helped me get started was watching one fight of Mary every day without fail. Watching her box during her world championships and national championships was my homework. I wanted my boxing style to be like hers. She’s left-handed and I am right-handed, so I had to learn everything ulta [opposite]. I can now proudly say that I am ambidextrous. I wanted my style and personality to be like her.
Do you think Bollywood films have to ultimately sell out at some point and insert a song, even if it’s a serious biopic such as Mary Kom?
Absolutely, there’s scope [for a song] here. You know what Mary Kom asked me first when I met her? ‘Am I dancing?’. She told me she was an amazing dancer and asked why she wasn’t doing a Desi Girl [Chopra’s hit song from her blockbuster Dostana] in her film. It made me realise that she’s not just a boxer, she’s also a girl. The beauty of this film is that it’s not just about boxing, it’s a story of a fierce woman like Mary Kom. She’s also a singer, dancer and can cook well. She’s house-proud, wears make-up and is a fabulous mother. But at the same time, she’s also a tigress in the boxing ring. This is not a sports film or a docu-drama about it, it’s her story. And to answer your question, I don’t think inserting songs make you a sell-out. Singing and dancing are a part of our culture. Indians love Bollywood films because music is an integral part of our culture. Even Hollywood films have songs that serve as background score. When we insert songs in Bollywood films, it’s just that it’s our way of telling a story.
Does physical resemblance matter in a biopic? You were criticised for not looking like Mary Kom.
I have said from day one that I don’t look anything like Mary Kom and that I don’t have her features. But one thing that made me feel better was when Mary, in an interview, said: ‘Even after Manipur has produced so many champions for India, people still ask if Manipur was a part of India. So I would rather have Priyanka, who’s a North Indian, play me than someone who comes from Korea or China. I’m an Indian and she’s from India too’. It was such a profound statement to make and my responsibility of playing her part increased. It was harder for me to play her because I didn’t have crutch that I looked like her to fall on. But I absorbed her personality into this role. I know Mary Kom better than anybody does. I am grateful that she chose me to be her face and her voice to tell her story. On my part, I have tried my best to represent her because I share that same sentiment about being an Indian.
I hope after this film, Indians become more accepting. We are the only nation in the world that’s unique and secular despite having many types of religions and languages. With this film, I hope the stereotype of what people want to watch changes. When somebody from South India comes to Hindi films, some assume that they can’t make it or vice versa. Is it because they don’t physically look like us?
You are premiering the film film tonight at Toronto International Film Festival. Your thoughts?
Tiff is a prestigious film festival and I feel privileged that a Hindi film with a female protagonist is opening the festival. I am lucky that they chose my film after watching it and I don’t know many Indian films have been a part of the opening night but I feel extremely happy. I am so proud that we got there.
Will Mary Kom achieve awards glory?
Every film that I do begins with the thought that it’s the best role that I have ever done. Even if I have one scene or four scenes, I give my heart and soul into each film. It’s the only way I know how to work. Besides that, if my film wins awards, it’s just gravy. But my greatest award is the love and appreciation I get. It manifests itself in the form of box-office returns because it means that people have loved the film, are repeatedly watching it and are talking well about it. When the box-office bell rings, that’s my greatest award. Besides that, awards such as the National Awards are a great encouragement but it’s not the reason why I make films.
What have you gained from doing Mary Kom?
I did this film at a very difficult time in my life. I had just lost my father and I began shooting for this film four days after his death. I poured all my grief into this film. To me this film is a dedication to what I have seen in my dad. What you see in the film are the feelings that I felt at that point. Mary Kom changed me. It made me realise that even if I returned home bruised and physically in pain every night wondering if I can continue, I was up the next day willing to give it a try again. Being slow and steady helped us finish this film. It made me realise that you can be unstoppable, but you need to take one day at a time. The film changed my outlook.
What does tomorrow hold for you?
I want to play different roles and when people watch my films I don’t want them to think that they are watching the star Priyanka Chopra. I want them to forget who I am. I am working on Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadkne Do which is different from Mary Kom. It’s an incredible ensemble. Zoya is a fearless woman with a great story to tell. She’s unapologetic about who she is and I love that about her. After that, I begin work on my first production with Madhur Bhandarkar, Madamji. I am bad with numbers but I have an amazing team who will do that for me.
