Why Can¡¯t I Be Onler: Mary Kom Actor

Darshan Kumar, who plays Mary Kom¡¯s husband in the biopic that releases this Friday, sat down with Indiatimes for a quick chat about his role and working with Priyanka Chopra. Excerpts from the interview:
Darshan, this is your debut film but Priyanka is the hero. Why¡¯d you choose to start your Bollywood career like this?
Because in real life and reel, I feel that Onler is also a real hero. He¡¯s not only Mary¡¯s husband but her best friend in the film, the man who supports and encourages her and is her rock solid pillar of strength.
What kind of research and prep went into readying yourself to play this role?
Since Omung (Kumar) had been working on the subject for a while, I had lots of videos of Onler to watch to understand his habits and mannerisms. I also lost 12 kilos for the roles and worked really hard on perfecting my Manipuri accent.
How nervous were you while working with Priyanka
I wasn¡¯t nervous about working with her but I sure was nervous about the responsibility placed on my shoulders of essaying a real character. As for Priyanka, from my very first meeting with her, she was supportive. It didn¡¯t feel like I was working with a superstar.
Is the debate about not casting North Eastern actors for the parts of Mary and Onler justified?
If Ben Kingsley can play Gandhi, why can¡¯t I play Onler or why can¡¯t Priyanka play Mary? The look is not as important as doing justice to the role and I think we¡¯ve all worked very, very hard.
What next?
I¡¯ve just finished ¡®NH10¡¯ with Anushka Sharma and my character in it couldn¡¯t be more different when compared to Onler. He¡¯s stubborn, aggressive and arrogant and I¡¯ve loved playing him as much as my role in Mary Kom.
Mary Kom releases on September 5