It has been Sunny Leone’s long-standing dream to headline an actioner. Her wish was fulfilled when Vikram Bhatt approached her for Anamika, the 10-part action series he is helming for MX Player. “I have watched some scenes, and I can hardly believe it’s me causing all that destruction,” laughs Leone, who started shooting for the project in the last week of December. 

Excited as she is about attempting the genre, the actor admits it comes with its share of perils. “It’s physically exhausting and emotionally challenging. I have to keep doing the same scene over and over again to ensure I have got it right. The sequence may appear simple on screen, but the work that goes into it is elaborate,” says Leone, who joins Sonnalli Seygall in the “gun fu” series, indicating a marriage of guns and kung fu. 

As part of the prep, she familiarized herself with kickboxing. “I have learnt some ancient martial art forms and kickboxing, but it hasn’t been as extensive as I had initially expected. Shooting with Vikram sir is easy as there is an emphasis on styling the sequences perfectly. When I watched the unedited action footage, I was surprised to see how authentic it looked.”