Sunny Leone at Swissotel on Tuesday. Picture: Rashbehari Das

Have I kept you waiting too long? I hope you’ve had some coffee?” Sunny Leone’s manners, much like her carefully coiffed hair, are always in place. In town to promote her Friday film Jackpot, the adult entertainer who is actually quite the shy girl-next-door, chatted with t2…

What is it about Jackpot that made you want to be a part of the film?

Kaizad sir (Gustad, the director) came to me with the script and he had just one request: ‘Read it at one go… don’t put it down!’ I said: ‘Ya, ya sure.’ I read scripts all the time, but never at one go and I was sure I would do the same with this one too. But I read this in one night and the next morning I messaged him and said: ‘Yes sir, I want to make this film with you.’

It’s a thriller-cum-comedy. It’s a story about five characters who try and pull off a con, but things don’t go as planned. My character is this woman who is in alliance with a mob boss played by Naseeruddin Shah. I am the one who facilitates this con, pitching in with a lot of ideas. But which side my character is on, you never can tell… she’s always a little grey.

The audience has been reacting very positively to the promo and to me in it. It has millions and millions of hits on YouTube and that’s a good indicator of how much people are looking forward to the film. Of course, we won’t know till Friday whether the audience is interested enough to buy a ticket and watch the film. But for me, making this film has been a great ride.

Do you see a growth in you as an actress from Jism 2 to Jackpot?

I know how I have grown in the littlest of things. I know that I am far more comfortable in front of the camera than I was in Jism 2. I have also become far more involved in my films in terms of questioning why I am doing a scene, why I am saying a line, why does my character behave in a certain way… I am always full of questions! (Laughs) I hope that when people watch Jackpot, they realise that I have grown in confidence and calibre from Jism 2. I am never hoping to be the most brilliant actor in the world (laughs) — far from it! — but I just want people to acknowledge that I am working very hard in this profession.

But you have never lacked in camera confidence as an adult entertainer for more than a decade now….

But that’s so different from this! Being an adult entertainer involves a lot less talk while acting in a film, means you need to know your lines… you need to act and react to your co-star…. Yes, I have been facing the camera for many, many years now, but films are a completely different ball game altogether.

Is being in Bollywood everything you had hoped it would be?

It’s been great for the most part… people, in general, have been warm and welcoming. Even if there has been the rare nasty experience, I have always chalked it down to a learning. My husband (Daniel Weber) and I are not from the industry, but we understand the basics… we know how things should be, how things should work. But there are so many more things that happen in Bollywood that we have no clue about! (Laughs) But we learn from our mistakes each time. We rely a lot on our gut and we are fortunate that most of the people we have met on our Bollywood journey have been good people.

Jism 2 to Jackpot, Ragini MMS to the item number Laila in Shootout at Wadala, it’s just been roles that require you to strip and look sexy....

But I do get a lot of different roles! I read a lot of scripts. I know there’s this idea that I can do only the ‘sex bomb’ kind of parts, but I am being offered roles that also require me to act… something that you will definitely see in Jackpot and then in my next two films, Ragini MMS 2 and Tina and Lolo.

Having said that, I feel that every film should be sexy… every film should be fun and entertaining so as to keep it interesting for the audience. For example, I was just watching Katrina (Kaif) in this song from Dhoom:3 on TV and she was looking so hot in that tiny thing she’s wearing! She looks gorgeous... she’s wearing something so provocative and yet she’s an actress to reckon with. That’s what I want to be. I want to be taken seriously as an actress. My profession of an adult entertainer has nothing to do with my career in Bollywood.

From not stripping to no bikini shots, actresses have a lot of clauses in their contracts. Do you insist on anything in particular?

Like any other actress, I would do it only if the film calls for it… only if I feel it’s justified.

But do you find filmmakers deliberately pushing in a nude scene or two because you are a part of a film?

Yes, of course. But the perception and practice is changing over time. I think people are gradually realising that I am here to act… that I am taking this seriously… and there is potential beyond just my body. I don’t mind doing sexy roles, but it should also have stuff for me to do as an actress. When Natalie Portman plays a stripper in a film (Closer), you don’t label her cheap… she’s still an Oscar-winning actress. That’s how I want people to watch me.

You do meet all kinds of people in the industry, some who are a little sleazy, perhaps (smiles), but it’s all about what kind of an impression you give to them. I make sure that I am very professional and I also have a whole lot of people protecting me… my husband is always with me. At the end of the day, Bollywood is realising that I am here to have a serious career in acting and they treat me like they would any other actress.

How are you straddling the worlds of porn and Bollywood?

Daniel and I keep going back to Los Angeles because that’s where our business is (Sunny and Daniel own SunLust Pictures, an adult entertainment company). I, of course, no longer feature in adult films and we are involved only in the production and business side of it. We treat it like we would treat any other career, but at the moment I am concentrating on my time in films. Hopefully, it will be a good run for as long as it lasts (smiles).

Priyanka Roy

Do you agree with Sunny Leone that she has potential beyond her body? Tell t2@abp.in