2 men followed me and called me 'coronavirus', says actress Lin Laishram from Manipur

Speaking about racism amid the COVID-19 pandemic, actress Laishram, reveals that she was followed by two men and continued to call her “coronavirus”.

Hailing from Manipur, Lin Laishram is an Indian actress who has prominently worked on Bollywood movies such as Om Shanti Om, Mary Kom, Axone, and Rangoon.

The Manipuri beauty has represented North East on a global podium, however, her homeland isn’t as welcoming as it should be when it comes to accepting her as any other Indian, be it in reel or real life.

The actress said, “It was sickening to believe that we’ll be treated in such a manner in our own country”.

She spoke in an interview with a portal. I had gone to drop my parents off at the airport. On my way home, I was followed by two men. They started teasing me and calling me coronavirus.

Lin further added that Bollywood needs to be more inclusive and normalise having North Easterners, not just as an ornamental or geographical representation, but merely Indians.

Earlier she had said that Indian audience isn’t open to accepting her as any other Indian who isn’t north-eastern, as opposed to other Indian actors playing north-eastern characters.

Lin rose to fame after her role in the movie Mary Kom, starring Priyanka Chopra.

Lin states, “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.”