1 / 9Speaking about racism amid the COVID-19 pandemic, actress Laishram, reveals that she was followed by two men and continued to call her “coronavirus”.2 / 9Hailing 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.3 / 9The 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.4 / 9The actress said, “It was sickening to believe that we’ll be treated in such a manner in our own country”. 5 / 9She 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.6 / 9Lin 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.7 / 9Earlier 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.8 / 9Lin rose to fame after her role in the movie Mary Kom, starring Priyanka Chopra.9 / 9Lin 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.”