Sunny Leone On Being Underutilized in B’wood: ‘Have To Constantly Prove That ‘Hey I’m Still Here’ | Exclusive
Sunny Leone started in Anurag Kashyap’s neo-noir thriller Kennedy.
Sunny Leone headlined Anurag Kashyap’s Kennedy, which secured a 7-minute long standing ovation at Cannes Film Festival 2023.
Sunny Leone has been a part of the Indian film industry for over a decade now. The former Bigg Boss contestant who is attributed to memorable performances in films like Jism 2, Jackpot, Ragini MMS 2, Ek Paheli Leela and Madhura Raja to name a few. Sunny Leone has been known to be an iconic face behind songs like Baby Doll, Laila Main Laila and Trippy. Adding another feather to her cap, Sunny Leone headlined Anurag Kashyap’s Kennedy, that opened to a 7-minute standing ovation at Cannes and now is all set to premiere at Indian Film Festival Of Melbourne.
In an exclusive interview with News18 Showsha, Sunny Leone talked about her Cannes experience,
collaborating with Anurag Kashyap, her thoughts on whether the industry has underutilized her talent and more.
First Cannes and now Melbourne, how does it feel to represent the country on such prestigious platforms?
It feels absolutely, unbelievably amazing to not only represent the film industry but also India. I think that it’s so great. I love this country. I have always said it that I love it here and I never want to leave. So, for me, this is just a big bonus to be able to represent it in such a positive, meaningful way.
What was going through your mind during the standing ovation at Cannes?
I was feeling so many things. First of all, I didn’t even know that people stand up and clap for you after your film. They kept clapping and clapping and it got louder and longer. It’s overwhelming that 2,500 people are on their feet, clapping for you and are happy for you and you feel all that energy in the room. And with every passing minute, you get more emotional. You can’t help but cry and get teary-eyed. I have such a small part compared to Rahul Bhat and Anurag Kashyap who gave blood, sweat and tears to this film, I know what I was feeling but I can’t imagine what they were feeling. We were all so proud of it and everybody who worked on the film. And when we left that theatre and we walked down, then I saw Daniel (Weber, husband) crying, and it was me, Daniel and Anurag Kashyap hugging each other and Daniel was just so happy and thankful. He is a huge part of my journey and has been through all the struggle.
How was Anurag Kashyap different from all the other directors you’ve worked with?
Everybody is very different but with Anurag Kashyap, your first thought is you are working with somebody who is very accomplished and it was very big for me because those opportunities are very few and far between. I was so happy to work with him. I tried to be the best listener on the sets and I tried to listen to every single, repeated information that he would give me and then try to give my best. Because when you work for somebody on that level, all you want to do is to make them happy and proud and make them feel like they made the right choice. He is really happy with my work and he is very proud, so mission accomplished for me! Working with him on sets is amazing. He is kind and he explains things very nicely.
Were you able to channel your full potential as an actor in Kennedy?
I don’t understand the concept of full potential, because I think we are always learning and that there are so many things that we need to learn. I do believe that because of his sensibility of film-making and the characters and everything that he wanted, it was a lot easier to be very clear. There was no confusion, there was no doubt about how Charlie is or how Charlie is supposed to act and how she is supposed to walk, talk and the laugh she has. And how that pain of what she is going through translates to each scene or each dialogue. In that way, it’s amazing to work with somebody like Anurag Kashyap where everything is clear. So unlocking potential becomes easier when someone lets you also breathe and you are able to take in every information.
Do you feel the entertainment industry underutilized your acting talent?
As an actor who is not from here, you have to prove yourself and sometimes it’s easier for some people and sometimes it’s more difficult, sometimes it also takes longer. This is just the way my life is, it takes longer me to prove myself and it takes longer to get to somewhere because I have to constantly try and prove that ‘Hey I am still here, I want to work’ and I think everything comes at the correct time in life and I have to tell myself that. And you have to go through certain things to be able to move on to the next, because you learn from them. So even though the films that didn’t do well, I am not going to say no to anything because this is my chance. I don’t have any guidance and I have to work, I have to earn a living for my family. I want to establish myself in this industry and the only way to do that is to not wait for that perfect project. It was to say yes to most of the things that came my way, that seemed reasonable. And within those bad choices and some good choices, Kennedy came to me because Anurag Kashyap told me that he didn’t watch any of my films but he had watched my interviews. So if I hadn’t made those weird films or the films that didn’t do well, I wouldn’t have done the interview and he would have never heard of me. So everything happens for a reason.
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