Sunny Leone speaks about her family and how B-town treats her today...

What happened to Sunny Leone in her publicised and critiqued television interview was fodder for the feminists to quote the ‘hell hath no fury...’ idiom. But in a display of amazing grace she maintained a stoic stance as the TV journalist allegedly grilled her with inappropriate questions and theories. There were no kneejerk reactions or any piercing rebuttals. The interviewee remained composed and took every misplaced allegation in her stride. By her own admission, Sunny was scared when the interview was being conducted. Her biggest fear was that she’d invite wrath of the moralists. Unlike her apprehensions, the Indian public and media turned to support a woman and her dignity in big numbers. Even a superstar like Aamir Khan tweeted to tell Sunny he’d love to work with her. It made her day! Most importantly it affirmed faith in public perception. It didn’t matter that she was an adult movie icon before she made her mark in Hindi films. Read on to find out her fears, her resolve and her confidence...

You’ve dabbled with many interests – from hockey to being trained as a paediatric nurse. What were your growing years like?
I grew up in a typical Punjabi home. From Sunday to Thursday, my mother prepared Punjabi food– sabzi, roti, rice and daal. Only on weekends we could have meat, like chicken curry or pizza and pasta. We were a family that ate at 7:30 pm. All four of us. My father and mother loved to cook.  My brother and I visited the Gurudwara and did keertan every Sunday. I played sports. We moved to California from Ontario, Canada when I was 14. It was devastating to leave my friends. I went through a difficult teenage. But by18, I grew into my own. I wanted to be independent, live on my own, buy my own car...

Were you a rebel?
I was definitely a rebel. My parents raised me to be independent. But with that came things, which my parents didn’t want me to do. They wanted their little girl to stay a little girl forever. But I did my own thing. The more they pushed me not to do something, the more I went in the opposite direction.

What was their reaction to you joining the adult industry?
When you enter this line of work, you don’t consult your parents. No parent would give their blessings. Any parent would say, ‘I’m locking you in your room, and you’re never going to leave.’ But I thought before the aunties and uncles start gossiping about their ‘beti’, I told my parents about it. They were naturally upset; my father didn’t show it as much as my mother did. We had a couple of heated discussions. But they had raised someone so independent that they knew they couldn’t convince me out of it. Their main concern was that I remain healthy and safe. They just accepted it, I was their only daughter. I still wanted to come home, see them, eat with them... so we didn’t talk about the situation. I was still the goofy nerdy girl, who walked around the house with messed up hair.

In retrospect does it pinch you somewhere that you upset your parents?
No child ever wants to feel that they’ve hurt their parents. But at the same time I wasn’t living my life for my parents, I was living my life for myself. Yes, I’d probably hurt their feelings, I’d probably taken the path they didn’t want me to. But it was my decision.

 
What about your extended family?
I don’t have family. My family in India has decided they don’t want to see me. I tried meeting them once when I was close to Punjab but they wanted nothing to do with me. It was a ‘closure moment’. My family in the US would meet me because I was my father’s daughter. But I don’t have a relationship with anyone. So it’s just my brother, my husband Daniel (Weber) and his parents and his family. They are closer to me than my own flesh and blood.

Had your parents been alive what would they have said seeing you today?
(Teary-eyed) I hope they’d be proud of me. I would’ve brought them to India and made them stay with me. I do ask for their blessings at the beginning of every project.

Your recent interview on TV was conducted in bad taste. You must have gone through similar experiences even with industry folks in the past...
I’m used to dealing with hatred and curious people. But I’ve never had a co-star who’s misbehaved or said anything inappropriate, I feel lucky. Similarly with filmmakers. They understand their boundaries because they want to work with you. Regarding the TV interview, the questions were not what ticked off people; it was the manner in which they were asked. I’m a woman; I’m not going to yell at a man, ever. Women shouldn’t. Controlling emotions and having patience is something I’ve learnt. But I do believe he came with his own agenda.

What has this incident taught you?
There are more supportive people out there than I thought. Feeling alone, feeling like an outsider, is never nice. The weird situations and interviews have helped me become strong. Even in the past, I’ve faced situations. Like you’re the elephant in the room. During one of the first award shows I attended; no one wanted to go on stage with me. But maybe it’ll be different after this. People wanted nothing to do with me. That is still there. I want to tell them, ‘Hi! I’m a normal person, I swear I am. I’m just like you!’ That’s why I don’t go out too often because even though I say that I don’t care, I’m human. I don’t want to put myself out there. Why not protect yourself instead?

What was going on in your mind during the interview?
I never felt that I was going to cry or be upset because I’m not apologetic, which is what maybe he wanted me to be. A respected senior journalist was interviewing me. People were going to take it exactly how he put it, painting this horrible picture of me. I was scared. But when my fans and certain celebrities started responding, I realised I hadn’t gone wrong. Some people called it a publicity stunt and I freaked out. Nobody wants to do an interview like that. I’m glad it’s behind me. Seeing the interview, even if one young lady says, ‘Okay, I’m going to be stronger’ then it’s cool.

You must’ve been thrilled when Aamir Khan tweeted in your support.
I was sitting in my car then. I began jumping up and down. I was so excited. I wasn’t expecting him to say what he did. I was elated. Whether we work together or not, I’ll always be his fan. I’ll always watch his movies, I’ll always respect him.

Four years in B-town. What makes it worthwhile?
What makes it worth it is where I came from. When I met my husband Daniel eight years ago and started our own company, we had no money. We started this production house together with credit cards. Being in the adult industry you never imagine you’re ever going to cross over. I had worked with the best. Career wise, I had reached a plateau, there wasn’t any higher I could go. So when Bigg Boss was offered, I took the leap of faith. My husband said, “Girl, we’re going. Let’s just do it. Grab the bull by its horns.” So much has happened ever since.

How important is your husband’s role in your life?
My husband is my world. He allows me to be Sunny Leone. My mother passed away within three months of me meeting him. God took away my mother but he gave me Daniel. Daniel took care of my father too. He was the only person who made sure I was okay after my parents passed away. He’s my angel.

You must be enjoying his protectiveness...
As we grow older every woman wants a guy who’s going to treat her like she’s the only one, put her on a pedestal. I’m not talking about monetary things but about love and caring. Most important is respect for each other. Daniel is confident about me. Although, I’m sure there are moments when the testosterone kicks in and he wants to mark his territory and say ‘she’s mine.’ I’m glad he does that as well. I feel fortunate. My best friend is my husband.

Marriage seems to have clearly worked for you...
Marriage is one of the most beautiful things that’s ever happened to me. Someone giving you a hug, someone telling you that he loves you, someone to confide in or ask for advice... for me it’s just Daniel, nobody else.
 
What do you enjoy doing with him?
Something we make sure we do every single morning is that we cook and and have breakfast together. My favourite time is making breakfast. At night, I make sure we talk about our day. (Laughs) We get frustrated when we’re not together than when we’re together, unlike many other couples.

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