‘I HAD TO FIGHT REALLY HARD...

... to make sure people see me as a legitimate entertainer’

Sunny Leone has had a controversial debut in the film industry – first because of her past as a Canadian adult star, and then making a debut with an erotic thriller Jism 2 (2012) directed by Pooja Bhatt. But Sunny didn’t pay heed to all the criticism that came her way and kept moving on and upping her game, though she did admit on a lot of occasions that she was treated differently in the industry because of her roots.

“Newcomers like me have to push ourselves slightly more to get acknowledged by filmmakers and audiences. So it’s really hard. I personally have had to fight hard on many fronts to make sure people see me as a legitimate entertainer,” says Sunny. Ask her if the industry has become more welcoming in the last five years that she’s been here, and Sunny says, “These five years have been full of ups and downs. But I’d say there have been more amazing things that have happened, than bad things. Overall, everything that I went through has been a learning experience.”

Sunny’s tryst with the entertainment industry began when she came to India in 2011 as a wild card entrant on reality show Bigg Boss, and she was considered a complete outsider when she entered films. However, she says it’s tough for everyone to make a mark in Bollywood. In fact, she says star kids who are often accused of nepotism don’t have it easy either. “They (star kids) also have to work hard so as to separate themselves from their family’s lineage and name, and make their own identities.”

Sunny says she feels she’s been lucky, despite being an outsider. “I am very blessed and have a great team behind me and we have been fortunate in getting good work and things are only growing larger,” she says.