While it was a mainstream film, Mary Kom also attracted a niche audience: sports enthusiasts, feminists, and students from Northeast India. In areas where multiplexes were scarce or ticket prices were prohibitive, piracy became an unfortunate "easy way out."
Piracy robs the creators, actors (including Priyanka Chopra), the director, and hundreds of crew members of their rightful earnings. It discourages the production of quality biographical films like Mary Kom .