Sunny Leone off to the US to celebrate with her family

By Subhash K. Jha -

April 2, 2014 - 10:30 AM IST

Sunny Leone is in seventh heaven. Her new film Ragini MMS 2 opened to a thundering box office response that left even the lady herself bewildered and stunned.

"To be quite honest, I didn't expect this kind of a response. Ragini MMS 2 has gone beyond all our expectations. That feels good. I feel I've been acceptedby audiences. It's a nice feeling," confesses Sunny as she heads to the Mumbai airport to catch a flight to the US to be with her family.

The naysayers and the morcha brigade have been pretty actively campaigning against Sunny's presence in Bollywood.

Sunny says she is not overly perturbed or hurt by the attack by the moral police. "Hurt would be a strong words. But yes, I am surprised by how vehement the naysayers are in their opposition.I have nothing against them. But I want them to know I am working hard to make a career, just like everyone else in every profession. And Ragini is the answer to all those who thought I could do only one thing."

The "one thing" is a sportingly self-deprecatory reference to her past history as a adult-content star that Sunny is not denying. "Everyone has a past. We all grow from one level to another. I don't understand why it is so difficult for some people to accept that I've made a natural progression from one phase in my life to another. Now I'm working very hardon my career as a Bollywood actress, though I am a long way from getting a hang of it. I only wish some elements would be more open-minded about my intentions."

Sunny's next level is her language.

She laughs, "Did I sound like I had dubbed for myself in Ragini MMS 2? Congratulate the girl who dubbed for me. She made a very honest effort to sound like me. I did want to dub my own lines in Ragini. But there were too many things happening at the same time. We all took a call that it was best to let it go andto let someone more skilled with the Hindi handle my lines."

She promises we will hear her in her own voice in her next film. "In Tina & Lolo, you will hear me speak in my own voice. I promise you my Hindi would be acceptable. It is very important for me to keep growing. I am constantly working towards improving myself. The effort shows in Ragini MMS, I think."

Sunny says she is still trying to get comfortable in the Bollywood environment. "Mumbai and Bollywood are my new home. I have my own residence, my own car and my own staff in Mumbai. Now when I go to the US I don't feel I am going 'home'. It's like I'm going for a holiday and I'll be back home in no time at all."

Celebrations are on the cards for the unexpected success of Ragini MMS 2.

Says Leone, "I feel we need to celebrate a success of this magnitude. How to celebrate, I'll decide when I am back from the US. But I have to confess I am not much of a party goer. You will hardly ever find me at parties in Bollywood. So far I've been too busy working on improving myself to bother with interacting with people. Maybe after my Hindi I will work on improving my social skills."