A year back when filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali announced his next production to be a biopic on Indian boxer Mary Kom with Priyanka Chopra in the lead, many doubted his decision.
There were all kinds of gossips which talked about Priyanka's casting as a sports star. But all the double thoughts were diminished with the sizzling release of 'Mary Kom' trailer which not only proves that Priyanka did a really good job in performing the part, but also that no one else could have been perfect for the role.
The producer is now beaming like a proud coach who is glad that he made the right decision. He said that he always had his belief in Priyanka. He further exclaimed what made him choose her.
"PC is a fantastic actor and intuitively I felt that she looked like Mary Kom. In terms of spirit, every human being has a certain aura and a vibe and somewhere, when you see Mary Kom and Priyanka, there is a spirit the two girls have in common. They are both very happy and funny with great comic timing," said SLB pointing out the similarities.
He also added that both of them share the common zest for excellence in their respective fields. "Both have this ability to search for excellence. Mary has gone through so many stages in her life to search for excellence. When I shot Ram Chahe Leela song with Priyanka in Ram-Leela, I felt that she is a girl who wants to find excellence, not perfection and that is beautiful. Also in terms of physicality, I felt that she would match with Mary even though Mary is shorter than her. I felt I would want to push PC in a boxing ring and believe that she can fight and can be a sportsperson," he stated.
SLB further revealed that it were Priyanka's traits as an actor which made him offer her the film. "She is an actor who gives so much of herself to the role and enjoys giving, be it in 'Barfi' or 'Fashion'. She is not an actor who wants an applause after a shot. She is someone who enjoys doing it and will ask, 'Can I do something more? Is it working?' Throughout Mary Kom, I found that she was constantly finding. Her search for excellence made her give this much to becoming Mary Kom," he concluded.