Sunny Leone is on the threshold of a new, perhaps bigger beginning in Bollywood. The actress, who was initially treated like an outcast - by her own admission - has finally started finding acceptance in the industry. In an exclusive interview with BT, she talks about her journey, her husband doubling up as her business partner, and why even “just a song“ in Shah Rukh Khan's Raees means so much to her...

Do you consider your song with SRK a validation of sorts? When the biggest stars work with you, it makes a difference, doesn't it?
I didn't see it as acceptance, but I did realise that for all those people who said not-so-nice things about me, they cannot take this moment away from me. I was told, 'No one wants to work with you, Sunny' and 'You are not going anywhere. You have a couple of years here and then you have to go back'. I know that it's just a song in Raees, but for whatever it's worth, it means so much to me that somebody like Shah Rukh, who is loved and respected all over the world, let me be a part of his movie. It's such a proud movie. It's such a proud moment for me.

So, you don't feel isolated anymore. Has people's perception of you changed?
Totally. Over the last 10 months, a lot of amazing things have happened. So many people are nicer, generous and supportive of me.

How did Raees happen?
They (the makers) called my husband (Daniel Weber). We were in the car. I knew something good was going on from the huge smile on Daniel's face. He got off the phone and said, 'Shah Rukh Khan wants you to be in one of the songs in his film'. I asked him, 'They were calling me! Are you sure or is it a wrong number?' I even wondered if Shah Rukh knew about the call. I was in shock because of a few things that had happened around that time. It was blow after blow and all of a sudden, this amazing call came. It was a dream-come-true for me.

Were you nervous around SRK?
Yes. I would constantly tell myself, 'Don't trip over, don't run into something, make sure you know the steps'. But Shah Rukh makes you feel comfortable.I remember how warm he was when I met him years ago at a film premiere. He went out of his way and greeted us, saying, 'Hi Sunny, Hi Daniel. How are you?' And, I was like, 'He remembers my name!' He is charismatic. His presence, confidence and the way he looks, makes him attractive. My parents also used to love him.

Will we see you come up with a tell-all book on your life?
I don't know if people would want to know about my life, but it's not my plan right now. It will take a lot of time and patience, which I don't have at the moment. Maybe, later...

Many industry couples prefer not to work together. Your husband, on the contrary, is also your business manager.
Daniel and I were brought together for a reason. God took away my parents, but gave me Daniel. He is my everything. For some reason, we click when it comes to business. We disagree on a lot of things that are business-related, but we sort them out through healthy debates. I am a headstrong Punjabi who likes to give her opinion, which is sometimes not even rational.

Who gets their way at the end of that debate?
If it's about personal issues, I do (laughs)! If it's business-related, we usually come to an agreement.

Every actor is high on social media these days. It's almost become mandatory to be out there, isn't it?
Every star should be active on all platforms as much as possible. Sonam Kapoor is amazing with fashion and clothes and I like the way she uses social media. I am a product of social media; I was able to build my brand and career because of it. I believe that artistes coming into the industry should use it to build their fan base.

Since you are an American citizen, what do you have to say about your newly-elected President, Donald Trump?
We don't know what he's going to do. But my husband said something interesting: 'We can't wish for him to do bad, we can only wish for him to do good.' US has never had a President who's not been a part of politics. He is the one President about whom everything's out on the table. It's better to know than not knowing. Is he the greatest person? Probably not. What we do know is the majority of the country voted for Trump for a reason.

Recently, a leading adult content website ranked India as the fourth biggest consumer of porn. There's a lot of hypocrisy surrounding porn in India...
Adult material is a very personal thing and to each his own. Having said that, facts are facts; you can't escape them.