It is inordinately befitting for porn star Sunny Leone to appear, as her first Hindi film, in Mahesh Bhatt’s erotic thriller, ‘Jism 2’. In the hands of any banner other than the Bhatts, she may well have been underutilized (skin-wise, that is). Yet, as she starts shooting for it in the current scorching heat of Jaipur, it is, more or less, certain that the more clothes she drops, the more she will endear herself to an audience that has to usually rely for its sexual gratification on Poonam Pandey’s failed promises to denude.
Born in Canada to Sikh parents, Leone’s (real name: Karen Malhotra) entry into Hindi films is by no way a conservative move. She has made a living out of pornography not only in the US and Canada but across the globe and this makes her, rather easily, the first star of its kind to hit the Indian screen.
For the non-aligned, her participation in the show ‘Bigg Boss’ gave her a taste of celebrity life in India, where though she failed to make it through, she nonetheless impressed the Bhatts to cast her in ‘Jism 2’. Here, she talks about whether she’s too hot for the conservative Indian viewers to handle:
How strong is your Indian connection?
I may not have come here often but my heart is totally Indian. I am 100 per cent Punjabi and nobody can take that away from me. Every time I come to India, it feels like home. When I first stepped out of the Mumbai airport, there was absolute craziness. Where else would you see such frenzy and enthusiasm? Unlike the rest of the world, Indians are emotional and they wear their emotions on their sleeves. So, in that sense, my ties with India was always strong. But yes, you could say that ‘Bigg Boss’ and now, ‘Jism 2’ helped me spend more time here and revive my bond with India.
This is the first time a porn star will act in a Hindi film. Will it be a ‘she’s too hot to handle’ situation for the conservative, traditional Indian audience?
(Laughs) There is a limit to which we will go in ‘Jism 2’. It’s not titillation and in any case I think the Indian audience is maturing. If a certain sex scene is a part of the narrative and if it takes the film forward, why should be there a problem? I think the audience is smart enough to make a distinction between my professional work abroad and my work here. Don’t forget that I am a Punjabi too and I wouldn’t like to do things that embarrass people in India. In fact, when I landed, I thought things are going to be the complete opposite of what’s going on. But now, when I am interacting with people, I can only see love for me, not hatred.
How does your family deal with your work?
My family and friends and husband (her manager, Daniel Weber) are my biggest strengths, but they have never pushed me into anything. They know how to separate my work from my life. Porn is just my work and they take it as that. When I am with my family, I am like any other woman. (Laughs) I love my spa, my dog and my movies — and my work. Let me say it again, I love my job and I am not embarrassed by either my work, my family or my image.
Finally, the voice of most Bhatt newcomers is dubbed. Your Hindi is definitely weak. Are you worried some dubbing artiste will fill in for you?
I am working very hard on my Hindi. I never miss my sessions. But more importantly, I know my script very well. I have been memorizing my lines and I know them by heart. Also, when I am back home, I only watch Hindi film — that’s the best way to learn, after all.