Priyanka
Chopra, who has stepped into the shoes of boxer Mary Kom in an upcoming
biopic of the Olympic-winner, says she has invested a part of her soul
in the film and her heart will break if it fails at the box office.
Priyanka Chopra
The 32-year-old 'Fashion' star says 'Mary Kom' is a very special film
for her and she has pushed her limits to do justice to the role. "I
started this film at the hardest point in my life, four days after my
father passed away.
All my grief, everything, I have shoved into this movie. Every single
day of making this movie has been a challenge. A part of my soul has
gone into it. I would go home, cry and tell my mother, 'I don't think I
can do this' and be back on the sets next day," Priyanka told PTI in an
interview here. The actress went through a tough physical transformation
to portray the role of the boxer in the Omung Kumar directed movie.
"The film is special to me. I am not good with dealing failures and I
am not prepared to face it with this film especially because it is too
close to my heart. It has inspired me personally and I want it to do
well," she said.
The actress has been promoting the film in different parts of the
country. She is next headed to Toronto International Film Festival for
its world premiere on September 4. The film releases in theatres on
September 5. Priyanka says 'Mary Kom' deserves to be promoted
aggressively, unlike other films, which are commercially big.
"The film needs aggressive promotion because it's not some big budget
'masala' film. I want people to watch it because I know they will be
inspired by it. It is a story of how a young woman fights all odds to
become India's face in the boxing circuit worldwide. It is entertaining
too because Mary is a fun person, who celebrates life to the fullest,"
she said.
riyanka feels responsible towards this film much more because of the
faith put in by the boxer in her despite criticism from some sections
that a North East actor should have played the Manipuri athlete in the
film.
"I feel so responsible that Mary is okay with me, a North Indian,
playing her. She said 'I would rather have you, an Indian, playing me on
screen than some South Asian actress who looks like me'. I also believe
that looking similar is important in a biopic but I have tried to tell
her story and showed her real persona, so I am hoping people will like
it," said Priyanka.
The actress said that the makers initially thought about casting
someone who looked like Kom but later they decided to approach her.
"This film needs to reach wider audience. She has put faith and
responsibility in me. I am grateful to her and her family, they have
shared so many details of their life with me," Priyanka said while
calling it "a great creatively satisfying experience".
The National award-winning actress says she tries to keep a balance
between films with meaty roles and commercial cinema, where male actors
take the lead. "I will never stop doing big budget films, though I do
try to have some substance in my roles but if it is not there then I
don't mind doing such films because my commercial viability as an
actress comes from successful films I do.
"That's the honest thing. If I have to do a film like 'Mary Kom', I
need to do these big budget films," she said, adding that an actress'
value in the industry is judged by her commercial success and not by the
strong roles she does.
"It is a movie-making business and the value of an actress in
Bollywood depends upon her commercial viability, which in turn depends
upon box-office. It holds true for male actors too," Priyanka said. The
actress will be next seen in Zoya Akhtar's 'Dil Dhadkane Do' with
Ranveer Singh, and her maiden production 'Mada mji', which will be
helmed by Madhur Bhandarkar.
Aamir Khan
