In a candid chat, actress Sunny Leone reveals how she deals with her detractors, and deftly solves some full-figured fashion dilemmas...
Shikha Shah (TIMES LIFE; July 5, 2016)

Sunny Leone makes an affirmation on her 35th birthday, talks about her husband and lots more…
Upala KBR (DNA; May 13, 2016)


How are you planning to celebrate your birthday this year?
I don’t have any particular plans other than working. I don’t expect much from anyone, but I did hear that my team has something planned. They are very sweet. My husband is also flying down to the Splitsvilla set from the US to spend time with me.

How do you usually celebrate your birthdays?
I don’t usually celebrate them. The last few years I have been working. I think for most people the best birthdays were when we are younger. As a kid you look forward to your birthday and the party that is planned. Now I am happy to just spend it quietly and I only expect a couple of people to wish me happy birthday who are closest to me.

What’s the best birthday gift that Daniel has given you?
With Daniel my birthday is a year-long one as he is always showering me with gifts. I am a lucky girl. But a gift I would like to give myself is a day with my family and dogs. That would be the best gift in the world!

You love animals?
I have always loved animals. And as you go through life you also become aware of them and how much love a little or big animal can give you. Their innocence and purity is what draws me to them. They want to just be exactly what they are and have no bad intentions towards anyone so we as human beings must nurture their wants and shower them with love.

When you entered Bollywood did you come with any expectations?
No, I did not come with any expectations. It was all really new to me and I did and still now think this is a big gift and opportunity that was offered to me. I believe in hard work and at this moment in my life my work and working hard is my main priority. I am not someone that focuses on birthdays or holidays. I know realistically that all will end one day and when it does then I can celebrate my birthday and holidays every day.

What has been the toughest challenge till now?
The toughest challenge is trying to figure out what is the next movie I should sign. I have realised that there is no way to surely know if a film you choose is the right decision or not. I have seen so many films in these years that people are expecting to do well and they don’t do well at the box office. And for no rhyme or reason a movie you didn’t know about does amazingly well. I have come to the conclusion that my main goal is to just keep making movies where I love the story. If I love it then I am making it. As long as movies are being offered to me then I will continue to work. I have to let the production house do its job to promote the movie well and hope it does. If they don’t, I can’t take it personally. It’s hard to do this and I am still trying to come to terms with this but I have to try.

How do you cheer yourself up when you feel low?
I try my hardest to engross myself in work. I tell myself that I work every day and that is all that matters. I internalise it and then push it away and look to the positive. I have some amazing people around me that love me and make me feel better. Knowing my family and friends are happy, safe and healthy is what makes me happy. I hate seeing others hurt or people in pain — it affects me deeply.

People have always said you and Daniel are madly in love.
Yes we are. He is my best friend, my lover, my confidant, and my whole world. I respect him as a person and he does the same for me. We met each other at a hard time in our lives and we got through it together. God took my parents from me and he gave me Daniel as my angel to watch over me and my brother. He is the one person who looked after the both of us when it felt like our world had ended with my parents dying. We always work together and have clear boundaries. We talk about everything. Yes we are like all normal couples who bicker back and forth but at the end of the night we always say I love you to each other.

It’s been seven years since your marriage. Seven ways to a perfect marriage?
Respect, compromise, unconditional love, generosity (I don’t mean gifts/ I mean with affection and love), compatibility, more love and as I always say ‘Happy wife… Happy life!’ Lol.

What do you think of Bollywood actresses Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra making it in Hollywood today?
I think that it is wonderful. That world is so different to Bollywood and I know that it is very difficult to make an impact there. They have done something that most actors want to achieve. I am so proud of them!

Are you a feminist?
I don’t like labels. I do believe that as a woman I must stand on my own two feet and work to the best of my ability. I do not let people pull me down. They try to push and I might fall but I promise I will stand again and I will be stronger. It’s a tough world in general. I have had women and men who have not been nice, so for me everyone is the same and if you want to succeed then you must push forward.

Have you and Ekta Kapoor had a fall out? Since post Ragini MMS 2 you haven’t done a film together.
No not at all. I own a BCL team with her show. We see each other often and are friends. We have not done another film because that is just how it has worked out. It has no bearing on our relationship or respect for each other. I admire her a lot as a woman and as a businesswoman.

What made you decide to produce Bollywood films?
It is the other way around. Bollywood decided on me! I have always wanted to make mainstream films and when it was presented to me I took it with both hands and jumped in. We are still developing things. I have signed on other movies as an actress and once that is finished then I will be able to focus on my own. I am not someone that wants to rush into this at all. It is all a process and I want to do it right. That I am very clear about.

Your life has been a very interesting one. Ever thought of a biography on yourself?
Not at this moment but it is something that is proposed to me all the time. I think people are definitely curious about my life so we shall see when the right time to take that forward will be,

Aamir Khan had said he would cast you in one of his films.
I am always grateful that he even said that out loud. We will see what happens.

One liners

Beyonce or Rihanna or Madonna? And why?
Beyonce because I love that she doesn’t care about anything and does what she wants.

Flirty or intense romance?
Intense romance.

Three quality that draws you to a man
Confidence, style and his business sense.

A quality in a man that puts you off
Arrogance.

Is there a Mr Perfect?
Always…

Live in relationships are…
Are ways to get to know your partner. See if you need two bathrooms or not because boys can be messy. Lol.

One mantra you live by…
Create my own path.

Describe yourself in five words…
Hard-working, driven, ambitious, silly and happy.

One professional mistake that you will never make…
Second guess who I am.

Three things you would want to change about yourself…
Caring too much about others when they don’t give a #$%& about me, try to be more open minded about changes, OCD with time.

Three things you wish you had…
My parents, that my brother lived walking distance to me and a horse.

Three people you rely on/trust completely and why…
My husband — obvious reasons.
My brother — because he is my blood and we are very close.
Hitesh Kipopara, my stylist, because he has been by my side through my journey here in Bollywood. Good times and bad… Money and no money. He is my brother from another mother.

Three moments you want to relive?
My wedding, when I purchased my home — such a proud moment for Daniel and because we both struggled to get it and when Aamir Khan called me after my interview with CNN/IBN and Shah Rukh Khan asked me to do a song in his movie.

An incident in your life that affected you the most and why?
When my parents died... I talk about this a lot because I see where I am today and I hope that they are proud of me. I wish everyday that I could just call them and tell them about it all.

Three times you felt let down…
I feel down when my movies don’t do well, when people unnecessarily attack me and when I miss my family and dogs in the US.

An average day in your life…
Every single day is different but mainly I work and work some more. My day starts with breakfast, gym, working on set or promotions and that’s it but every day the job changes. It’s never the same.

My song of the moment:
Bad Reputation by Joan Jett

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; December 12, 2013)

Sunny Leone is not ashamed of having been an adult star in the past and is thankful for everything that has happened to her in her life. All she wants from God is to allow her parents to return to just see her one film. She loves her husband Daniel Weber the most, who is also her best friend. Ahead of her upcoming film Jackpot, she opens up to Bombay Times about her savvy husband, caring in-laws and her plans to be a mother. Excerpts:
 
Let’s talk about your childhood? I am all Indian. My dad was from Chandigarh and mom from Himachal Pradesh and they were both Sikhs. They migrated to Canada where I was born and later migrated to LA, California. My father was a mechanical engineer and my mother, a housewife. I lost my mother in 2008 and my father, a year-and-a-half later, just before my entering the Bigg Boss show. I lost both my parents before I entered Bollywood. I have a younger brother, who is an executive chef in the US. I was a tomboy growing up and I was a girl playing soccer and basketball and a G.I. Joe instead of a Barbie. Our parents made sure that both of us were busy children. They were very attentive of everything we did, making sure that whatever the American kids did, we also did. We would go to the gurudwara on the weekends and were active among the Indian community there, apart from playing sports and studying. My parents never forced us to speak Punjabi at home, so even though I understood it, I ended up speaking English. I was always an independent child and I would go door-to-door raising money for my basketball team. Or I would say, ‘Daddy, I want to make a lemonade stand to make money.’ Or I would go shovel snow and make a few dollars. Both my parents taught us to not depend on anyone in life and to work hard and to do it alone. And, of course, my mom tried to teach me how to make chapatis, dal and sabji which I learnt, but not as attentively as other girls do. They were very conservative parents and were very loving and caring. I was always daddy’s little girl.
 
Your parents being conservative, how did you become an adult star? It is shocking to any parent. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t to them. It just happened. It was not that I was aspiring to become one. I wanted to be a part of the entertainment world as it was very fascinating to me. An agent saw my portfolio and offered to make me an adult star. I saw the magazines and found the women very beautiful. Also, there was so much money that I decided to do it and said yes, but I did not tell my parents. I was 19 at that time and was living on my own.
 
Did they ever come to know before they died? Within a year of posing for the magazine, I started travelling all over the world. Then one day, I won the ‘Penthouse Pet’ award which is extremely popular in the adult world. You win $100,000, a diamond chain and a contract with them. Since the adult world is different and I was staying independently, I had managed to keep it away from my parents till then, but I knew that due to my award I would be on radio stations, TV channels and on magazines and there was no way that my parents would not find out. Somebody somewhere would call them and say, ‘Do you know what your daughter is doing?’ I decided to tell my parents. I sat them down and told them as I needed to get it out. My father knew what it was and he understood and said to me, ‘You obviously did not consult us, but whatever you do in life, be the best in what you are doing.’ I know he was upset and he was a typical dad who was not going to show his emotions to me. My mom was also very upset.
 
Were you ashamed of being an adult star? What a lot of people don’t know about me is that I stopped working as an adult star before I was on Bigg Boss. When I formed my company in LA, that was my exit strategy. I enjoyed what I did and am not ashamed of what I did and am thankful for everything that has happened in my life.
 
Post your parents, are you closer to your brother now? I call both of us orphans. We just have each other. My mother was sick for a long time and then had organ failure. My father died of a broken heart. It’s really sad to see your father in so much pain. He stopped laughing and smiling after my mother passed away. He removed every living thing from the house as he was really sad. He died in the form of cancer. I travelled a lot and therefore have a lot of guilt that I am not there with my brother and really want him to have a girlfriend for even small things like just giving him a hug that she could supply to him and make me feel a lot better. I understand why he does not want a girlfriend, but I so wish he had one.
 
Your parents would have been proud to see you in Bollywood. Do you miss them? I miss them every single day. Even if God brought them back for an hour, I want them to see who I am. My dad always wanted to see me successful. He wanted me to be above and beyond who I was and what I was doing. For me, it is always a tough moment, when a movie is releasing and I want nothing more than for them to come and see my film. I miss them at all my special moments and also the bad ones. Fortunately, for me, my husband Daniel’s parents are Jewish and Jewish culture is very similar to Indian. His parents too are extremely caring and loving and are always thinking about us and calling us to ask how we are. I may not have my parents, but I am lucky to have them.
 
How did you meet Daniel? I met him through a common friend, who, actually, I did not like much. Daniel would be stalking me and emailing me and proclaimed love at first sight. He ended up sending me flowers and chocolates everywhere. We finally had our first date and while I have OCD with time, I consciously got late and even ate my food before I went. But what ended up happening was that we talked for the whole night over a glass of wine without opening the menu and realised that we really hit it off well. It was the most amazing date I ever had. I liked the fact that he was coming from a normal family where his parents were a very loving couple. For me, I wanted something like my parents, who fought, sometimes hated each other, but they loved each other and stayed together and did everything together. We saw each other for three years before we got married. I like the fact that he is really independent and that he is really smart. He is extremely attentive and caring and loving. My mother died just three months post my meeting him. In those three months, we were only getting to know each other. Usually when you have some life-altering situations, your boyfriends run away. But Daniel was there and was by my side. She did not get to meet him. And the first time she met him was at her funeral. I had to introduce them at her funeral and say, ‘Mom, this is Daniel, Daniel this is mom.’ He is extremely business-savvy and protective. He is my best friend and we laugh all day long. We do everything together. We don’t argue or fight. I think he likes the fact that I am always positive. Even when our worlds come crashing down, I try and remain positive. When I see a friend arguing with their parents, I feel like shaking them and saying, ‘You have no idea whether your parents will be there tomorrow or not.’ At one point, their time will end and that time can end in one second and you may not even get to say bye. I am not complicated. My parents always told me, ‘Money is not everything Karen.’ (Sunny’s original name is Karenjit). And I don’t have them anymore, but I get it today. For me, so far as my family is healthy and my friends happy, I just want to do my work and go back home.
 
What are you like? The good is I am hard-working and it does not matter what the task is. I take criticism really well or I think I do. I am just a normal girl who, at the end of the day, makes her husband roti and dalchawal. My rotis may not be round, but I can make them. I am extremely loyal to my friends. I am fun-loving and have a lot of patience. I love Daniel the most. He is an angel and has made my life so beautiful and so nice. The bad thing is that I am not around for family functions. I give up all my time and Daniel is always trying to conserve it. He is very secure and we are like yin and yang. I will work myself into getting sick, but my work is what I have and is my life. I used to get a lot of attention even earlier, but the Indian fans’ love for their Bollywood stars is insane. Somehow, people here have accepted me and I know I have more people loving me than hating me. The most interesting part on a tour is when a mother comes to me and says, ‘Here, take a picture with my baby’ and every single time in my head I am going, ‘Do you know who I am?’ I believe in God and karma. I believe in the idea of just being a good human being and not cheating anyone.
 
Do you look forward to becoming a mother? My husband has baby fever right now. I keep saying, ‘Hold on, tiger.’ He wants a baby so bad. All my friends are pregnant and I don’t know what is happening this year. I want a baby sooner than later, but I also believe that I must hold on to this moment in my life as it will not repeat itself.