Showing posts with label Karenjit Kaur - The Untold Story Of Sunny Leone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Karenjit Kaur - The Untold Story Of Sunny Leone. Show all posts
When I met Daniel Weber is when I was still just dating Russell Peters-Sunny Leone
8:27 PM
Peeking into Karenjit Kaur: world’s first adult entertainment star, to graduate to a mainstream actor, now at Cannes, no less
Mayank Shekhar (MID-DAY; July 22, 2023)
Sunny Leone. There, now that I have your attention, with the world’s most googled name, over multiple years—it might be easier to have you explore Karenjit Kaur Vohra, the actual person behind the screen name.
To start with, why is she Sunny Leone, of all names. I wondered about this, dozing off, watching a show recently, where they mentioned the African country, Sierra Leone in it, and I read the subtitles as Sunny Leone!
Wait, is she named after the African country? The real story, and I couldn’t find it detailed on Google, is equally random. When she was still Karenjit—meaning, not yet entered the adult film industry (the accepted euphemism for porn)—she was being interviewed, I’m assuming, for a girlie magazine, after debuting as a pin-up.
Sunny recalls, “So, I was at work. This was at a tax retirement firm, where I did all kinds of jobs, one of which was as the receptionist. During that call, that I had to finish fast, they asked me what should they name me? I couldn’t think of anything, so I said Sunny, which is my brother’s name. He is Sandeep Singh. For the last name, I asked them to pick one themselves.”
As it turns out, the magazine’s owner was Italian. Hence, Leone. Aha, got it—as in filmmaker Sergio Leone (popular Italian surname), not Sierra Leone! That said, Sunny Leone, which Karenjit sees totally as a brand, distinct from her, has gone through multiple makeovers itself. Besides the influencer behind several businesses, from cosmetics to crypto, Sunny Leone 2.0 is a Bollywood actor.
We take this for granted, of course. But, is there any other person from the adult film industry in the world, who’s made that critical transition into mainstream showbiz, in the first place? “In India, for sure, not. In the world? I don’t know! There is Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Tommy Lee… Okay, they’re entertainers, not [mainstream] actors,” Sunny agrees.
And this breaking of a global taboo happened in India, of all places. She’d obviously been to India—where her Punjabi parents first moved to Canada from—quite a few times, growing up: “But as Karen, not Sunny Leone!”
When she got an offer from India to enter the reality show, Bigg Boss, in 2011, she first refused—wary of how the desi public will respond to her, besides understandable safety concerns.
The guys at Colors TV, evidently, made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. The money was good enough for her “down-payment for house” in LA. She had just got married to Daniel Weber, also her business partner. It was just two weeks’ work, and back home. That was the plan. The channel had also assured her that security would not be an issue.
Landing in Mumbai, she and her bodyguard from LA, decided to take a quick peek into what was going on outside the airport, while Weber went off to fetch the bags. And, phew, she saw a massive, uncontrollable crowd, jostling outside, to catch a glimpse of ‘Sunny Leone’: “We just rushed back. The military at the airport had to form a human chain, as we were somehow finally escorted out.”
That frenzy continues, clearly. Consider an image from Kerala that went viral online once, when Sunny had visited Kochi to promote a cellphone brand: “We’ve done such events, a million times. But with this one, the stage was small. From the car, I could see lots of people outside.
“Once I got out, there was a swarm, for as long as you could see, hanging from buses... It takes your breath away! People were analyzing later online, that they were from a political rally, nearby. But they were all yelling my name! It’s on my way back that I saw that picture you’re talking about: ‘Holy shit!’
“They were well-behaved, though, and the police were on guard. Security concerns depend on circumstances. Sometimes you’re at greater risk at a lounge or a nightclub than in a public place.”
What this insane love for Sunny reveals about us—an inherent non-judgmental liberalism, or sheer hypocrisy, is hard to tell. What’s common, regardless of where you’re in India, as she’s mentioned before, is Sunny being stared at.
“I think it’s an Indian thing. It’s not just with me. They just stare straight at you. I just walk with my horse blinders on. The funniest is, when I actually say hello to someone, on a set, or in general—they just slink away. They don’t say a hey, back. That’s even ruder!”
Ever since the Bigg Boss gig, Sunny says her life has been on a “wheel turning on its own”. Bigg Boss led to Pooja Bhatt’s Jism 2, her Bollywood debut, that was a hit, chiefly for its top-class soundtrack.
The film-offer happened with filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt entering the Bigg Boss house to publicly sign her up. She thought it was a gimmick/joke: “I didn’t know who he was. Recently, I was on the set with Pooja [Bhatt] getting into the Bigg Boss house. How life comes a full circle!”
On her maiden Bollywood shoot, she felt like a “fish out of water”. Otherwise, her knowledge of Hindi cinema was limited to VHS tapes of films her family played—on occasion, for late-night pyjama plus pizza parties at home.
It’s not that she thought about those films much, let alone imagine starring in them: “I could understand the movies, because Punjabi is similar to Hindi. Being from a conservative family, I spoke to my mother about how the heroines in those films were allowed to wear certain clothes, that I wasn’t permitted to at home. Those were my concerns!”
This tallies with the usual desi Diaspora life, doesn’t it? “It does. And I have a theory. Don’t know about now, but back then, the home-sick migrants, who moved to other countries, chose to create a ‘time warp’ around themselves—for when, and what they had left behind. So, inside their homes, they recreated the same philosophies of Indian life and culture [to feel like they hadn’t moved at all].” Sounds like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), surely.
That was young Karen’s life. Before she became ‘Sunny Leone’, the adult film star, and thereafter a Bollywood actor, of course. There is a scene in Jism 2, where she heaves and moans, to tell her co-actor on screen, “You think this is easy. It looks like it. It’s not.”
While she didn’t write that line, she believes in it: “No matter what you do, if you’re an entertainer, it’s true, it’s a tough life. Even if you have families backing you—they can’t help you win the love of the public.
“And when you’re working, nobody asks you what your day was like, or what you’re going through, on that day—you just perform. Even if someone did ask—you wouldn’t say how you feel. You wear a mask, all the time.”
Take her journey to be taken seriously as a mainstream actor, for instance. She says she did go through acting workshops, before the shoot of Jism 2. And she’s had a team of coaches since.
At one point, she was paying an acting instructor, $200-$300 an hour—“they can be that expensive.” This is because a top Mumbai filmmaker had asked her to audition for the lead in a major production.
And, apparently, she declined—because she was offered economy-class tickets to arrive at the shoot? “Oh, no, that was still okay… It was everything across the board. And I am not talking about some small-budget film, or a production company that couldn’t afford things to be put into the budget for an artiste. It just seemed so unreasonable. But, hey, I did pass the audition!”
She doesn’t name the film. I’m thinking (in my head), Vishal Bhardwaj’s Rangoon (2017), where she could potentially crack the whip well, as Hunterwali, or the Australian-Indian Fearless Nadia. But why hazard a guess.
“Let’s just say, the gentleman’s films did very well, but this one, I auditioned for, went average. So, everything happens for a reason.” Sunny did bag and see through the lead part of Charlie in Anurag Kashyap’s Kennedy, post an audition, that was “held before the entire office, with everyone being asked how it went!”
She was terrified. Only to realize—when she hung out with these audience members, over a drink, much later—that she had been pre-selected, already: “Anurag sir probably just wanted to check if I’ll show up [for the audition]. Of course, I will. Since things have landed on my shoulders on their own, I may have created the impression that I won’t test for parts, which is obviously not true.”
This is the first time I’ve met Sunny. Strangely, one thing that most journalists say, once they do interview her, is how surprised they were to find her so sorted in the head. As if adult films stars posing, consensually, before a camera, must be ditzy brunettes.
If anything, you expect candour from a rare celebrity in this part of the world, who’s owned her life so publicly, through a documentary, Mostly Sunny (2016)—even a multi-season, semi-fictional series on her life, Karenjit Kaur - The Untold Story Of Sunny Leone (2018). Which, I’ve to admit, I couldn’t finish, because the crappy app it’s on (ZEE5) just wouldn’t allow me to!
“What’s in the series, is all true. I was clear about that, when they approached me for it. I’m very emotional about my family, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Sunny promises.
That series starts with an interview by a journalist, trying to slut-shame Sunny, to state it crudely. It’s somewhat based on news anchor Bhupendra Chaubey’s chat with her for News 18 in 2016. Which showed a really unfazed and warm side of Sunny—she says stuff like, it’s possible that superstar Aamir Khan may not wish to work with someone like her, but that’s okay.
Soon after, she got a call from Aamir, Sunny recalls, “He felt the same cringe. So many others too called up, to say they were proud of me: Anil Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan…”
Given the context, on a lark, I asked ChatGTP what Chaubey’s former colleague, broadcaster Rajdeep Sardesai, might ask Sunny Leone in an interview. All crappy questions. Our jobs are still safe. But I ask her one from that list, anyway.
‘You’ve faced a lot of criticism and backlash from some sections of society for your past work, how do you deal with such negativity?’ Sunny says, “I don’t deal. These people leaving comments are still there, only moving me up in Google rankings.” So, who’s the loser here—fair call/point!
The other thing interesting about the Karenjit Kaur series is it features a stand-up comedian called Rusty, who is so obviously based on the Canadian, desi comic, Russell Peters. Rusty makes jokes on Sunny part of his stand-up routine, while they had actually once dated. True story?
“Yeah, you should check it out. Not that I mind at all. It’s for the laughs, it’s totally fine.” How long had they dated? “For a hot second! We were great together, as friends—drinking, being silly, funny… We went on a date, and just messed it up. I’d still be so happy to meet him.”
As per that series, again, her boyfriend then (Daniel), husband now, beats the shit out of Rusty for using Sunny in his gags: “Oh, no that was just sensationalizing. That never happened. All that family parts in the series, though, are all true.
“Actually, when I met Danny is when I was still just dating Russell. Once Danny and I got together, I just had to drop my friendship with Russell. It’d be a mixing of weirdness, otherwise. Felt sad about it.”
Unsure if Sunny continues to make it to Russell’s stand-up set. Surely, it’d be better than other Sunny jokes floating around, forever: ‘What happens when Sunny Deol marries Sunny Leone? They both become Sunny Leone!’ She doesn’t find any of them funny, anyway: “Danny does; but he has a different sense of humour!”
Having spent over a decade in Mumbai—which, even for Indians is a tough city to live in—Sunny says it’s her pucca New Yorker, Brooklyn, Jewish husband, Daniel, who’s turned more desi, as a result.
She laughs, “Well, don’t go by my American accent. I’m totally Indian myself too. And even after I retire, Mumbai will remain my home forever. But when I see Danny order chicken tikka all the time, bob his head, say, ‘time-pass’, ‘just’, ‘only’… I’m like, ‘Who are you, dude?’”
The only thing that surprises me about Sunny is that she’s a Trump supporter, or at least a sufficient sympathizer—and this, only because she’s the daughter of Indian migrants herself. Trump’s views on migration, in general, are well-known.
Besides that it’s not proven (or proven otherwise) that Trump was a sexual offender at all, or that his supporters stormed the Capitol, when he lost the elections—Sunny’s arguments are focused more on Joe Biden’s supposed indiscretions.
We get into a bit of a political debate, to realize soon enough, thankfully—it’s kinda pointless in these polarized times. Waste of time. Nobody’s winning this.
But she has her firm opinions, and it’s do with the fact that her brother Sandeep (the real ‘Sunny’), a chef, has to be pay for Obamacare (America’s healthcare programme, supported by the Democrats.)
“Well, he can’t feed himself, and it’s okay that he must pay premium for Obamacare? He must have the choice, whether to, or not. America is all about choice.”
Okay, okay, moving on. If you follow her conversations, even casually, the only prism to assess Karenjit, as a person, is to see her quite simply as an astute business person. “And doing business is slightly different in India,” she says.
Something she needs to adjust to: “We are Americans. We do our work, and move on. Over here, more emotions get involved. That’s what businesses run on. That you must meet next week, too, even when the work is over. It was a learning curve. And something that Danny and I have realised we need to pay attention to.”
That said, Sunny sees India as the market to be in: “Even if you go to Bandra, and check with people selling slippers there, how much they make—it’ll shock you. Of course, there is competition, but running small businesses, even mom and pop shops, is much easier, than in America. Just look at the number of people here!”
As a big enough brand herself—with a premium valuation for everything, from ribbon-cutting, to product endorsements—there are businesses she runs, with Sunny Leone as the leverage.
She says, “It helps me live my passion, which was always business, since I was a child. I was that kid knocking on doors, selling you stuff—starting with lemonade, shoveling snow... Even when I entered the adult industry, I built my own website, learnt HTML, marketing, photoshop for images, video, ran my own affiliate programme…”
Not that we’re taxmen to ask how much she makes—it certainly sounds like an empire of sorts, by Indian standards. What does she do with her money—does she have guilty-pleasure luxuries, say, a private island?
“I hope Danny buys me one in Maldives, where we keep going for holidays. No, I’m just a plough-horse on a farm, that keeps working. I’m lucky, because my husband buys stuff for us. But we spent on our house here [in Andheri West], our cars… We also save money—we have three kids, a lot of it will go to them.”
How about a private jet? “Oh, I would never buy that. Not even reserve a seat in a time-share [programme]!” Why’s that? Well, there is a story.
“Okay, firstly, those private jets are nothing like you see in amazing images, and ads. They’re dinkies. We got into a private plane, going to Latur [in Maharashtra], because there is no commercial airport there. The plane got into a crazy air-pocket. We had the Sardar pilot loudly praying, ‘Waahe Guruji, Waahe Guruji...’ Our security guy’s legs were flying in two different directions, hands elsewhere. Danny was losing it with the manager, who’d booked us in the plane. I was trying to calm him down. I swore, I’ll never fly such a plane again.
“And guess what? A month later, we learnt, that we had matched with a girl [Nisha] for adoption. Guess where? Latur! I asked my manager to book a private charter, again. He said, ‘Are you out of your mind?’ We had to return to Latur, to eventually pick Nisha up, thereafter, as well. I guess, Latur and I are connected, in the most amazing and non-amazing ways! But yes, I don’t mind the last row of a commercial flight—no private jet!”
Done. No private jet for most of us who are reading this either. Just that we will never afford it—at least we can feel better about it! To think of it, everything began for Sunny with photos in girlie magazines, and videos that went viral, before that term was invented.
While production of porn is illegal in India, I tell her about how there is a thriving underground, local, adult films’ scene. One of the male stars of which, an actor called Shakespeare (it’s his real name), I’ve been in touch with, as a journalist, for quite some time.
Shakespeare tells me about how Sunny’s unthinkable commercial success had inspired a cottage eco-system of female aspirants. Which, in a way, also reflects a changing society, when it becomes to matters of shame and guilt, associated with sex.
Is she aware of this, or does she have a take on it? “How would I know [of what’s going on]? I live in my own bubble. When I go out to meet people, it’s not like they say, come on, let’s talk about sex!”
The truth is, those aspirants will not see anything close to Sunny days, ever. Maybe even get penalized/ostracized for it, in the long run, who knows?
Consider Mia Khalifa—an adult film star, about as well-known as Sunny. In 2014, she shot a dozen videos for $12,000, which remained her lifetime’s income from it. Her popularity subsequently soared, but she gained nothing.
And she never actually wished to be a ‘porn star’, she said—coming out in public, eventually, shining a light on the exploitative nature of America’s adult film industry. To which, Sunny responds, “How do I put this in a nice way? Read your contract!”
She adds, “I worked only with the best people. I have no horror stories. I read through and corrected every single contract, [to ensure] I was gaining something from it. I was in control of everything that I was doing. And I do believe, in that industry, there are different sides. But from my perspective, I was in complete control. I saw it as a means to get towards something different.”
As for whether she empathizes with Mia’s state/claims, at least, she argues, “Let’s say, you are going to broadcast this interview on one platform. But you also license it out to several other outlets. If I sign a contract that says, no, you can’t. Then, you can’t. Sure, you could end up with people who lie. But usually, at least in my experience, people are straightforward.”
In her own case, while she’s exited the adult industry, her videos continue to fly: “Exactly! You can’t get rid of the Internet, it’s impossible. But I did make sure—I got out of whatever time I spent on it. I did.
“Also, you know—it’s like me telling you to limit where you are going to put out this interview. Is that going to help me, or hurt me? Do I want you to exploit this interview? Of course.”
If we go back again to the Karenjit Kaur series, the one who was evidently hurt by Sunny’s choice of profession was her mother, foremost. Apparently, she veered towards alcoholism, as a result?
“No, my mother became an alcoholic, way before my life choices. We went through a lot of craziness in our house, because of this addiction. It was sad, because you always want to think that your mother loves you more than alcohol. But it wasn’t about that. It was an addiction—something psychological that needed to be repaired from the inside. That had nothing to do with me.”
“Was I a trigger? Most definitely. But I was always a trigger. It didn’t matter what I did—whether it was coming home late, or anything she didn’t like. When [the adult industry] happened, it was, you know, a stamp-trigger. It was not fun at all.”
Which brings me to what can only be termed the successful ‘porn star paradox’. And it’s something any libertarian parent might have to deal with. Which is—what if their child tells them they wish to follow in the footsteps of Sunny, given the immeasurable amounts of fame and money she has achieved? What would they even say? How would Sunny respond, if her children asked her the same?
“I would have to educate them as much as possible—to let them know of pros and the cons of this [decision]. They will obviously know [about] what I have done in my life, at some point. They are too young now. I made certain decisions, because of whatever circumstances in my life. So, if I can provide you with sound decisions—where you know what you are doing, and if you are okay with that—then I don’t think I would be able to stop anybody, after a certain age. I don’t know—they are only 5 and 7. It’s a long time from now. My main worry is how to get through their teenage years! I think that will be more difficult than some of the life choices they make after 18.”
Her children’s professional future is way ahead of them, of course—we may still be looking far too much into Sunny’s past as well, while she’s currently at another cusp in her career.
She returned from Cannes, where her film, Kennedy, premièred before a packed house, at the biggest venue of the festival. It’s surprising that this was her first time at the French riviera, given the number of stars, celebrities and wannabes walk the red-carpet there for a photo-op.
She was a rare one from India, with an actual film, to show for it. The screening at the world’s top cinema fete concluded with a reported seven-minute standing ovation. Sunny, you could see, was in tears.
“I was crying like a baby the entire week at Cannes. It was a really emotional trip. And there are two sides of it. One is the film itself, which I am so happy and proud of. Then, there is my personal journey—and what does Cannes means to me, in it? If you told me, when I stepped foot in the Bigg Boss house—that 11 years later, I would be walking the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, I would have told you to go, f*** yourself! That you are some crazy man, who took some blue pill. And that’s the crazy journey that I’ve had.”
Being Polish in Bollywood
9:06 AM
Matylda Bajer, who hails from Pozna in west Poland, is now a resident of Malad. She says her biggest roles yet have been as Sunny Leone's friend in the 2018 web series Karenjit Kaur, and in the Malayalam film Lucifer (2019). Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
While international faces in Hindi films are now commonplace, it's the recent rush of Polish talent, especially across acting and cinematography, that industry observers say points to an interesting connect
Prutha Bhosle (MID-DAY; December 8, 2019)
During World War II, about 1,000 orphaned children from war-torn Poland travelled to India seeking refuge. When their ship docked at Rozi Port in Jamnagar, Maharaja Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja of Nawanagar, a princely state in the Kathiawar Peninsula off Gujarat, made arrangements to build a camp for them. Later in 1943, the only permanent and the largest Polish settlement, was built in Valivade, next to Kolhapur, for 5,000 refugees. This gesture resulted in the heart-warming documentary, A Little Poland In India, made in 2013. The 52-minute film is the first to be co-produced by the Indian and Polish governments.While this story celebrates compassion, and a cultural and historical connect between India and Poland, there is another one unfolding in Bollywood.
Growing up in Poznan, western Poland, Matylda Bajer's love for Hindi cinema grew early with the Shah Rukh Khan-Mahima Chaudhary-starrer Pardes (1997). Then a teenager, Bajer, now 28, watched the film on her television. "Then there was the Punjabi MC-Mundian tu bachke song which was played on loop in Poland's clubs. Bollywood was not known to everyone there. These were the only two links we had to the Indian entertainment industry," she says when we meet her at her Malad home.
When she turned 18, Bajer moved to Ireland. While still pursuing business studies and working as an assistant in an accounts office, she was approached by a photographer. "I was shy and hated being clicked. But he convinced me and said he would keep the photographs only as souvenir. When I saw my pictures, I was stunned." It set the ball rolling for a new life. Bajer enrolled for a theatre workshop in Dublin and worked with independent filmmakers on small roles till she turned 20.
In 2012, on a backpacking trip to Hong Kong "to experience Asian culture" she was introduced to India. "People spoke of the challenges of living here, how culturally diverse it is and how it could change your life." From June 2013, Bajer explored India for the next five months. "It was tough, I stayed at the most basic accommodations and ate street food. But my stay made me realise how madly I had fallen in love with the country. I packed my bags and left for Europe, with a dream of returning and pursuing a career here."
After saving up by modelling in Ireland, Bajer arrived in Mumbai in 2015. She lived at a Colaba guest house and frequented tourist spots in South Bombay, drawing the attention of film agents and coordinators. "I did a random reality show. I had to begin somewhere. And then, started giving auditions in Aram Nagar. Soon, I started shooting for TVCs. My first big ad was for Incredible India." Bajer played the role of a news reader in the Neil Nitin Mukesh-starrer Firrkie, an air hostess in SRK's Fan (2016) as well as bagged a part in a series on Bindaas called Life Lafde Aur Bandiyan. Her biggest break was as Sunny Leone's friend in the 2018 web series Karenjit Kaur - The Untold Story Of Sunny Leone,, and the Malayalam film Lucifer (2019).
Bajer says her tribe is growing in Bollywood. Born in Wodzislaw Slaski, Claudia Ciesla (below), 32, has in the last 13 years appeared as a contestant on Bigg Boss and starred in the hit song Balma from Khiladi 786 (2012). A well known face on the European modelling circuit, she came to India in 2006 to shoot with an international crew for Karma. "I had to be in Mumbai to promote the film, and that is how I got noticed by the paparazzi. When I went back to Germany, I was offered an entry into Bigg Boss season 3, to be hosted by Amitabh Bachchan." Initially, she turned down the offer. "I didn't even know what a reality show was. But the organisers convinced my manager that this would be a good platform, so I gave in."
Ciesla survived in the house for 10 weeks. "When I got out, people wanted selfies with me. I had become popular in just two months, I couldn't believe it. This is when I realised I could try for bigger projects in Bollywood. If things didn't work out, I had a successful career waiting for me back home." So, the 32-year-old actor stayed and hit gold. She signed another reality show, Zor Ka Jhatka with SRK, and shot the project in Argentina. Next came Comedy Circus, and then the sizzling item number, Balma. It's been 13 years, but Ciesla like Bajer has no plans of heading back.
While speaking English isn't common in the country, all the interviewees we spoke to were fluent in the language. And so, the real obstacles in a smooth work-life in India are the weather and hair colour. "Initially, they [production houses] would want me to colour my hair brown so I could look more Indian. But I am an outsider and will never look local, no matter what contact lenses I wear. One day I put my foot down and decided I'd accept only those roles that allowed me to play a foreign character," says Bajer.
A March 2019 report by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry titled, A Billion Screens of Opportunity, stated that in 2018, the country's media and entertainment industry enjoyed a stellar run. "With the film segment expanding by 12.2 per cent to reach an annual revenue of INR 174.5 billion. Of this amount, the domestic film revenues crossed INR 100 billion with Net Box Office Collections for Hindi films at INR 32.5 billion —the highest ever," it said.With massive budgets and a growing worldwide audience, it's not surprising that Bollywood and Indian television attracts talent from across the world. What's surprising however, is the concentration of Polish talent. Joanna Robaczewska has anchored Comedy Circus and was a part of Karenjit Kaur season 2. Erika Kaar played a pivotal role with Ajay Devgn in Shivaay. Bielsko-Biala-born Natalia Janoszek, too, was seen in lead roles in Dreamz: The Movie (2013), and Flame: An Untold Love Story (2014). Well-known Polish actors Cezary Pazura and Tomasz Karolak bagged roles in Bangistan (2015).
Julia Piekielko (left; above), a Polish national, set up a talent agency in Mumbai five years ago, to increase collaboration between Bollywood and international talent, especially her home country. In the last five years, she says, she has placed eight directors of photography (DOP) in various productions across India. "It isn't necessary that they [production houses] ask for a DOP of a certain nationality; it's truly their choice in the end," she says. Representing the production company Film Poland Productions and the Talent Agency Choice Talents, she placed DOP Michal Luka for Ittefaq (2017); animator Adam Wyrwas in Tokri (2017), and Marcin Laskawiec (right) and Karol Stadnik (right; below)—both DOPs—on the production of Tiger Zinda Hai (2017). The projects helped their careers in India take off.Until recently, Artur Åurawski was the only Polish DOP—Pradeep Sarkar's Mardaani (2014) and Yash Raj Films' Sultan (2016)—in Bollywood. But, as Laskawiec's and Stadnik's career graphs show, Bollywood's interest in Poland is not limited to acting.
Born in the small central Polish city of Slupca, Stadnik is currently on an assignment in Delhi. Speaking to us over the phone, he says, "As a kid I was a major movie buff. I grew up making amateur movies and VFX. During the five-year-long cinematography course at the Polish National Film School, I had already started making short films. After graduating in 2011, I did multiple commercials and feature films in Germany and Estonia."Moving from Poland—which has its own flourishing and acclaimed film industry—was an easy choice for Stadnik, who says the competition was tough back home. "I have not yet worked on a big budget film in Poland. The competition among DOPs there is quite intense. But Indian films have given me the opportunity to work as the main DOP."
Director Ali Abbas Zafar has hired Polish DOPs for his big ticket films like Bharat (2019), Tiger Zinda Hai and Sultan. "Ali Abbas specifically demands that his films have Polish DOPs. I think after Zurawski did a great job in Sultan, the director has a fascination for Polish camera operators," says Laskawiec, who studied philosophy and literature for two years each, before enrolling in the Krzysztof Kieslowski Film School in Katowice to learn cinematography.
Piekielko agrees. "My job is to bring in talent most suited for a film. While I deal with cinematographers from across the globe, there are some Indian directors who prefer Polish DOPs. It's their choice. My job is to then guide them through the work visa procedure so the production carries on smoothly. I coordinate on the project from the beginning to completion, to ensure that both the director and the DOP are happy and all goes according to the production plan."
Interestingly, Film Poland Productions, for whom Piekielko works, offers another service back home—their exotic locations where Indian movies can be filmed. Marta Bejma, head of production, tells us, "We believe that Poland is one of the most attractive and competitive places in Europe for filming movies. We have historical cities, castles, fairytale palaces, mountains, the seaside, and also modern city life. We can add a European feel to any film at a much lower budget than other countries."
And there have already been takers. Salman Khan's Kick (2014) was shot in Warsaw. The Alia Bhatt and Shahid Kapoor-starrer Shaandaar (2015) was shot at the Zamoyski Palace in the Lublin region and Ksiaz Castle in Lower Silesia. Then came Fitoor (2016) and Super 30 (2019). And now, Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Chehra is set to be shot in the region. Film Poland Productions wants to make Poland the new Switzerland for Bollywood films.
Last season of Karenjit Kaur gave me the chance to look at incidents in a new light-Sunny Leone
8:30 AM
Sunny Leone on the final season of her biographical series Karenjit Kaur: The Untold Story Of Sunny Leone
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; March 29, 2019)
Staying true to her word, Sunny Leone has shared her journey with the audience through the web series, Karenjit Kaur - The Untold Story Of Sunny Leone. Even as the show reaches its last leg, the actor says shooting for the final season of the Aditya Datt-directed venture has been harder than she imagined.
"It is natural for our mind to get over trauma, but I relived the experience all over again after so many years. It took me a long time to recover after we shot for it. I literally broke down [after shooting the series]. But I am happy that it gave me the chance to look at incidents in a new light," she says.
With the second instalment having concluded with Leone arriving in India, the season finale will showcase her journey from a contestant on Bigg Boss 5 to finding a footing in Bollywood. While the past two editions of the Zee5 show were well-received, naysayers were quick to point out that it was an exercise to change her bold image. "It's hard to change people's perception. My objective to come to India and work was totally different from what people think."
The actor says that since the inception, producer Shareen Mantri and director Datt were certain they wanted to showcase her journey through an objective lens. "Were my choices right? Maybe not, but in that moment, I believed they were right. I don't see myself as a victim, and if you watch the show, you'll realise I haven't been depicted as one either."
I was not mentally aware of how my choices affected my family-Sunny Leone
7:33 AM
Sunny Leone opens up about her biographical series Karenjit Kaur, how she is indifferent to the world’s opinion about her and the difficulties of reliving her past
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; July 29, 2018)
Are you critical of your own work? What do you feel about your show, Karenjit Kaur, as an audience? I am hypercritical about my work, which is why I waited to watch the show before putting it out there. I knew that if things weren’t edited right, I wouldn’t give it the go- ahead. But to my surprise, it turned out well.
How involved were you in scripting of this series?
Everything was run and approved by me. I was clear about how I wanted the story told, keeping in mind the writing process and the flow of the story. The writer, Karan [Shrikant Sharma], did a great job of etching the story and Aditya Datt [director] brought it to life in a tasteful manner.
What prompted you to come on board for your own biopic?
Shareen Mantri from Nammah Films and Daniel [Weber], my husband, came to me with this idea. After my last experience with a documentary, [Mostly Sunny on Netflix], I was not keen on doing anything. Shareen expressed her motive behind telling my story and the route she hoped to take. Something clicked. I wanted people to see a human story, which is probably not what they were expecting me to showcase.
Was it painful to relive the past?
It was beyond difficult to shoot this series. I can’t even begin to express what I was feeling. The second season broke my spirit and I’m still trying to heal. I was objectively viewing my life and seeing the other side of the coin brought me to tears. I know my story and the choices I made, but I was not mentally aware of how it affected my family and the other people in my life. I think, that realisation hurt.
What particular sequence reduced you to tears?
The hardest thing to relive was my parents’ death. I am aware that they are not my real parents, but the feelings and situation were real. Seeing my onscreen father suffering from cancer, and my mother in a coffin, was not easy to relive. The heartache was not cathartic. While it was my choice to go through this all over again, I assumed that I was ready for it, but I was not.
You have always been savage about questions on your life choices. Did you fear any backlash like Sanjay Dutt received for Sanju?
I am unaware of what backlash Sanjay sir faced, but the little I know of his life, I’m sure it was not easy to share the intricate details. I am not worried about the backlash, because I have told everyone a true story. This is the real Sunny Leone — good or bad, this is who I am. Were my choices right? Maybe not, but in that moment, I believed they were right for me.
Many people are of the opinion that you made the series to whitewash your image.
I don’t know what people are talking about. My intention was to show the true story. The series is for fans who have always been by my side. I want them to understand that I am just like them.
Rysa Saujani, who plays your younger self, says that this series will redeem you of people’s judgement. Are you seeking redemption?
The biopic series is essentially about my journey and how I made some calamitous choices. I don’t care about people judging me. Rysa is a young girl, who endured this process with me. She may have noticed all the hate and judgement surrounding me; and some may have even commented on her, which probably made her say this. That’s sweet of her.
The show harps on how much you like money, which was also showcased in Mostly Sunny. Usually, it stems from a rough childhood, was that the case?
I grew up in a simple household and my parents taught me the value of money. It’s not common to say out loud, but that is why I work so hard. I am a businesswoman first and creative as well. Logic supersedes everything for me. Now that I have a large family, I will work harder to provide for them. I always wanted a luxurious life, but still be honest. I believe, I have successfully done that. I am not apologetic for liking money as much as the next person.
Everything about a public personality’s life is chronicled by the media. Did you ever feel incorrectly represented?
Quite often the media likes to make things up which serves them better; not me or the truth. I understand their thinking, but it doesn’t make it morally correct.
After being a vagabond as a teenager, have you surprised yourself by focusing on your career?
I’ve always been focussed. Aditya sir [director] nurtured me and has been patiently pushing me to bring out the best. This is my best work so far.
Do you have any regrets?
Too many and I’ll leave it at that.
Karenjit Kaur - The Untold Story Of Sunny Leone becomes latest series to be leaked online
7:53 AM
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; July 24, 2018)
In another example of piracy wreaking havoc in the Indian entertainment industry, Sunny Leone’s biopic, Karenjit Kaur - The Untold Story Of Sunny Leone, has become the latest web series to be leaked online. While the makers of the show are yet to lodge a complaint with the Cyber Crime Cell, they have roped in a piracy monitoring agency to control the damage.
Manish Aggarwal, business head of Zee5, the platform that streams the biopic, says, “Our content is DRM (Digital Rights Management) protected. The monitoring agency has been successful in bringing down 90 per cent of the piracy hit rate. We have blocked most of the domains that were streaming the show. Holistic action is being taken against the offenders.”
Sunny Leone's life choices served up for you to analyse
8:56 AM
Day after release of trailer of her biopic, Leone says two-part series will justify what motivated her decisions
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; July 7, 2018)
Whether or not one might harbour an interest in her life, an over two-minute long trailer of Sunny Leone's upcoming biopic has turned out to be riveting enough to pique the curiosity of a diverse group of cinephiles. And even though biographies that are endorsed by the protagonist are inclined to portray them in favourable light, Leone hopes Karenjit Kaur - The Untold Story Of Sunny Leone will help shed light on the controversial choices she made.
"This is a story about a family, the struggles of its members, and my struggle to pick a path that, I felt, was right at that moment," she says, of her decision to make a career as an adult movie star. "We highlight what motivated my choices. I hope we break the perception of who I am, and understand the person that I really am," she says, revealing that the two-season show will highlight her career in Bollywood in the second edition.
"The story starts prior to my birth, and highlights the events that transpired till I came to India as Sunny Leone. The prerogative was to create something interesting for the viewer." As is evident in the trailer, Leone reveals that a fair chunk will chronicle her equation with her brother, mother and father. Rysa Saujani, 14, plays the younger version of Leone in the web show, which will release on July 16.
Here's why Daniel Weber won't feature in Sunny Leone's biopic Karenjit Kaur - The Untold Story Of Sunny Leone
8:15 AM
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; May 5, 2018)
As Sunny Leone’s biopic, Karenjit Kaur - The Untold Story Of Sunny Leone, is set to stream this month, the team has already begun shooting for the second season. Unlike Leone who is playing herself in the web series, husband Daniel Weber will not be bringing his character to life in the show.
Talking to mid-day about his decision, Weber says, “I gave it a thought initially. But I felt it would be better if I could use my time more efficiently working on the things I do on a day-to-day basis with our companies [than act]. I thought it wouldn’t be a great idea to commit 60-90 days of shooting, when I have so many other things to handle.”
The makers recently zeroed in on South African actor Marc Buckner for the role. Laughing that he “couldn’t think of a single suggestion” regarding who should play him, Weber says, “The team did look tests and screen tests in Cape Town, and roped in Marc. Right now, Marc is trying his best to understand the script. A major part of his work includes dialogue training. Funnily, he is trying to ape my tattoos as well.”
Pointing out that Leone is a natural in front of the camera, Weber says that she is more adept at helping Buckner with the prep. “Sunny understands what the camera wants and what the audience will enjoy in a character. To get better insight, Marc sits with Sunny every day before each scene to understand our dynamics as a couple. All I asked of him was to be confident on screen.”
Revisiting the past for her biopic takes a toll on Sunny Leone
7:50 AM
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; April 24, 2018)
Given Sunny Leone’s popularity in India, it was not surprising when the video-streaming platform Zee5 announced a biopic on the actor’s life, Karenjit Kaur - The Untold Story Of Sunny Leone, as one of its originals. While the first part is scheduled to go on air in May, midday has learnt that the actor has already kicked off the shoot in South Africa for the next season.
A source reveals, “The first season, which consists of six episodes, traces Sunny’s childhood and teenage years. The second part will highlight her career in the US and may even include her marriage to Daniel Weber. There is a possibility that Daniel will make a cameo in the series.” The makers, we hear, are hoping to release the second instalment later this year.
Leone, who recently turned mother to twin boys Asher and Noah through surrogacy, says that the audience curiosity around her prompted the idea of the biopic. “A lot of people out there are curious to know who I am, where I have come from and what motivated the decisions I’ve made in my life. I want them to watch the show to know the real me, instead of harbouring the perception that they have created in their minds. I can’t reveal much about the second season as we have just started shooting,” says the actor, who burst on the Indian entertainment scene with Bigg Boss in 2011 and went on to pursue a career in Bollywood.
While a child actor has been roped in to essay the young Leone, the actor will be seen playing herself for a major part of the narrative. Leone admits that reliving her journey, albeit for the cameras, has not been easy. “Since my parents passed away many years ago, we brought in two actors to play them. It has been particularly difficult to shoot the scenes with them. I thought I would be fine, but when we started rolling, I realised I was not emotionally prepared. No one would be fine reacting to emotional and traumatic moments. Going through them once again was a challenge. There were times when I broke down.”
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