Priyanka Chopra offered a heart-wrenching tribute to her 'coach sir', Sunil Thapa. For the unversed, Sunil played Priyanka's coach in the movie, 'Mary Kom'.
In a piece of heartbreaking news, veteran Nepali actor, Sunil Thapa passed away at the age of 68. The actor was best known to play villainous characters and also essayed Priyanka Chopra's coach in the biopic drama titled, Mary Kom. The news of Sunil's demise was confirmed by the Cine & TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA) on February 7, 2026. Now, a while back, Priyanka Chopra, who played the lead role of Mary Kom in the biopic, took to her social media handle to offer the most heart-wrenching tribute to her 'coach sir', Sunil Thapa.
Priyanka Chopra was very close to her father, the late Dr Ashok Chopra, whom she lost in 2013 after his long fight with cancer. Sunil, was best known for playing 'M.Narijit Singh', Priyanka's coach in the 2014 movie, Mary Kom. A while back, Priyanka took to her Instagram handle to share a video from the film where Sunil was seen making her do hardcore training for boxing. Priyanka, in her emotional tribute, remembered how her 'coach sir', Sunil Thapa stood by her when she lost her father and wrote:
"You will always be my Coach Sir. You kept me together when I had just lost my dad. You loved me and helped me through many tough days without even realising it. Your warm hugs and your laugh will always be part of my memories. Gone too young but never forgotten. Thank you for your kindness at a time that I was broken. Rest in peace Sunil Thapa. My condolences and prayers are with the family and loved ones."
As seen in the video, Sunil is seen telling Priyanka, ''Iss bees by bees duniya mei yeh tumhari pehli kamai hai. Esko dil kholke kharch karna." The coach was seen making Priyanka who played the role of Mary Kom, an eponymous boxer a pair of boxing gloves. Netizens in the comments section hailed Priyanka for showing respect for Sunil. A user wrote, "Today we have lost our heart. We'll always miss you. How could we believe that you're gone too soon? You will always stay in our hearts. The whole world is praying for you." Sunil's fans offered their condolences, and a user even wrote, "He is a legend from Nepal, thank you for your respect!"
As seen in the clip, Priyanka had shared a montage where Sunil's character is seen training her hard so that she can reach her goal. Suni's role has been to push Priyanka to great limits so that she can give her best in boxing. In the movie, he is seen training her, being by her side through endless days of hard work. When she wins, Sunil is seen as the first to lift her onto his shoulders and celebrate her victory.
Sunil Thapa is also best known for playing the role of Nagaland leader, 'David Khuzou', in The Family Man Season 3, which stars Manoj Bajpayee. It was in November 2025 that the hit web series of Raj&DK premiered. Now, according to reports on social media, Sunil was undergoing medical treatment in Nepal's capital when his health suddenly deteriorated. He was reportedly taken to the hospital when he was in a state of unconsciousness, and then an ECG was done. He was declared dead due to a suspected cardiac arrest.
Team BollywoodShaadis offers condolences to the family of Sunil Thapa.
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