Sherlyn Chopra at Aqua at The Park (Pictures: Rashbehari Das)

Playboy model, starlet and now MTV Splitsvilla host Sherlyn Chopra was in Calcutta on Friday. She turned on the heat in a t2 chat.

Was the intention behind signing up as host for Splitsvilla the need to reach out to a wider audience?

Yes, the intent is to connect with Youngistan because 60 per cent of our population is the youth. I feel that whatever one does today, it’s important to connect with the youth, whether it’s films or TV or anything else.

Wouldn’t you rather have been a contestant on the show?

Not really. I haven’t had a great experience being a contestant on a reality show. In Bigg Boss 3, I was miserable. I felt so alienated and was the victim of bad politics. On Splitsvilla, I never had the urge to be a contestant. I had anticipated that my job wouldn’t be too demanding, but it was very challenging, more so because no script was given to me. I had to be spontaneous and speak my mind as well as keep my ears and eyes open all the time.

You are known to speak your mind. Have you ever regretted it?

Honesty is no longer a virtue I know but I am someone who wants her life to be an open book… with colourful illustrations, perhaps (smiles). I’d rather die than pretend to be someone I am not. Diplomacy is not my strong point and I am someone who doesn’t have two faces. It’s not something that has always worked for me, but I don’t regret it.

If I was someone who had regrets in life, I wouldn’t have done such a risque shoot for Playboy magazine. In a society where women are looked down upon if they wear shorts or a short skirt, it was very risky on my part to do the full Monty for Playboy for a shoot that spanned five days. Posing nude is not a typical Bollywood career move… it almost blacklists you. But it’s a risk I took and I don’t feel bad or self-conscious about it.

You have said that posing for Playboy changed your life…

The Playboy shoot was very liberating for me and changed my mindset as a woman. There was a time when I used to be very promiscuous. Casual sex and affairs with no strings attached was my scene. But now after the shoot I have realised that sex is sacred and whenever it happens, it should be meaningful. Posing without clothes is not a big deal for me. If anything, I feel liberated when I don’t have clothes on. I feel that the body is a beautiful thing and not something that we should be ashamed of exhibiting. I enjoyed the photo shoot fully. It made me feel a sense of freedom.

But the Playboy spread has been delayed for close to a year now…

It will definitely be out this year. Mr Hugh Hefner (the owner of Playboy) has some very big plans for showcasing my pictorial.

One hears that you are keen on marriage…

My mom wants me to get married, but there’s no man in my life. Honestly, I am not even looking out for one because I am not willing to get into the dating game at this moment. When I am on my own, I am a very boring person. I generally stay at home and my only companions are my dog and my caretaker.

Coming to your film Kamasutra 3D, the posters give the impression of a porn film…

I didn’t choose Kamasutra; Kamasutra chose me. It’s a passionate film about love, lust and desire, but it’s not a porn film as many people are thinking it is. It’s about a wife’s search for her husband and the voyage that she undergoes makes her realise what the power of sexuality actually is.

What was the experience like walking the Cannes red carpet for Kamasutra 3D?

Honestly speaking, I wasn’t sure what reception I would get at Cannes. But after I walked the red carpet, I discovered that the global media is very excited about Kamasutra 3D. They asked me a lot of questions, paid me a lot of attention…. I felt proud to be an Indian.

You have hit out at Mallika Sherawat’s recent comments at Cannes calling India “regressive”…

I don’t know in what context she said that, but all I have to say is that if India is not perfect, neither is any other nation. We are a country full of potential and for Mallika to say something like that was unwarranted. All I want to tell her is that ‘thoda parda uthao aur aankhon ki dusting karo aur dekho India sach mein kya hai!’

One thing we haven’t seen you in is an item number…

I would love to do one provided I am not projected as a chhamiya. I want the song I do to celebrate womanhood and sexuality. Lewd gestures and suggestive lyrics are not my thing. I don’t like to be projected as a commodity or someone who would catalyse sexual arousal.

Do you consider someone like Sunny Leone to be your competition?

I adore her because I feel she’s honest about who she is. It takes a lot of confidence to come into Bollywood from the background she’s come from. And honestly, what’s the difference between her and the rest of us? What we do behind closed doors is what she does in front of the camera. Big deal!

Priyanka Roy

What question would you like to ask Sherlyn? Tell t2@abp.in