I’m not going anywhere: Sunny Leone

The past year may not have been a successful one at the box office for Sunny Leone, but that’s now how she sees it. Here’s what she says about her 2015:

Q. What, in your opinion, were the highs and lows of your career in 2015?
There were lots of ups and some downs. The best for me was the release of my film Leela. I got a chance to showcase myself differently. The lows were the attacks by certain people this year but I have to say it helped me grow and become stronger. My psychological ability to handle some of the bad things that happened has become a lot stronger.

Q. Do you think you’ve made ample headway in Bollywood? Do you see a wider acceptance now?
I don’t know about acceptance, but I’m definitely not going anywhere and I think people are gradually getting to realize that. Which makes it easier to approach them, or visa versa.

Q. Two of your Bollywood releases in 2015 did not do well. Were you unhappy about that?
Well obviously it doesn’t feel good when a movie doesn’t do too well. But I don’t see Leela as not doing well. For me it was a chance to play new characters and many people in Bollywood appreciated it and my fans loved it.

Q. The documentary on you by Dilip Mehta seems to humanise your story and makes you seem so vulnerable. Are you happy to be projected that way?
I agreed to do the documentary on the precondition that it would reveal the truth. In the documentary, people will get to know who I really am and what I feel. My story and my journey will be shared with everyone and I am fine with that.

Q. Apparently your screen name comes from your brother Sunny. How did he react when you named yourself after him when you entered the adult entertainment business?
Well, when I used that name I didn’t think about it too much and if I knew then I would be this person that I am now, then I would have picked another name. It’s awkward now when my brother and I are together and I have to say, “This is Sundeep Singh (laughs).”

Q. How does your brother feel about your place in Bollywood?
He thinks it’s very exciting. He is not filmy and doesn’t watch Bollywood. Actually when I told him to watch Leela he was very upset saying, “Don’t ask me to watch a movie where your character dies.” He couldn’t handle watching his sister die on screen, because we had literally watched our parents die in front of us.

Q. How often do you meet him?
I see him as much as I can. When I am in the US we see each other every day no matter what. We are very close and I’m so happy for that. He’s one of my best friends.

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