Sunny Leone, bold, direct and uncut. Doesn't regret one bit of whatever she may have done in life. Couldn't care two hoots for those who criticize her. Is she calling the bluff on large sections of male Indian society?
On my weekly interview show,
The Hot Seat, I decided this week to interview Sunny Leone. Scorned and
adored by people in equal numbers. I have been pilloried by many, suggesting
that I was obnoxious in my questioning. Some thought I was obsessed with her
past. Well, Yes I agree. The only reason why Sunny Leone, or Karanjit as she
used to be called earlier, would have qualified to be on my show, is because
its her past, now evolving into her present, which is the story waiting to be
told.
Like all my interviews, this
time too, I tried to read up as much as I could about the interviewee. I found all kinds of information. Some held her high as an example of courage. Like how difficult her
life journey must have been. I agree with that, it must have been one helluva
journey. But that’s precisely the point. We aren’t really going to the cinemas
to watch her because she is a star. Sunny Leone
is a newsmaker in her own right because of her past, her Bollywood presence today and the manner in which she deals with
criticism which is bound to come her way.
Frankly and let me be honest
with you folks. She did tell me half way through the interview, that she felt
it was like an interrogation. She did concede that if she knew the show format, she
would have been better prepared. But ever since the first airing of the
interview, I am only seeing positive feedback for her. So Sunny, you did well!
It doesn’t matter that I was convinced at the end of the interview that you
were an extremely brave woman to have dealt with your past in the manner in
which you did. It’s the viewer that counts. Whether its you or me.
I came across this article in
scoop whoop. http://www.scoopwhoop.com/Sunny-Leone-Interview/
The article, like many
others, assumes that I have been judgmental. I fail to understand how. I simply
did the job of asking questions, yes, some of which were perhaps moralistic in nature. Aren't these questions? I did mention this multiple times in course of the
interview that Indians were a bunch of hyper hypocritical people. I am not
writing this blog to respond to the critics. But I thought its important to
place the facts correctly. In the right context
When I asked her to respond
to some comments made by politicians about her, I thought she was splendid by
jokingly claiming that perhaps President Obama himself may some day include her
in his speech. When asked if we were to turn the clock back in time, would she
have done anything differently, her response was again spot on.
My point is, the moralists in
this country can have any take on anyone. I most certainly wasn’t aiming to be
a moralist on The Hot Seat.