She has no regrets for what she does, and knows her work as a porn star goes against Indian culture. But Sunny Leone says its because the country's younger generation is willing to accept all kinds of people that she has been able to make inroads into the Hindi film industry.
"I did not think that people will like me because of my background, like what I do for my living in the US. I was not sure if it would be accepted here," Sunny, who has made her Bollywood debut with erotic thriller "Jism 2", told IANS.
What set the ball rolling for the 31-year-old, Indo-Canadian adult star here was her participation in reality show "Bigg Boss 5". She received the offer for "Jism 2" via acclaimed filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, and the spotlight has been on her ever since.
Sunny, who was named among top 12 porn stars of the world by Maxim magazine in 2010, says the prejudices for people in her profession seem to be diminishing in the minds of the youth.
"I think the young generation of people are ready to see someone like me on TV. Otherwise I would not be here. I think one should live life the way they want regardless of what people think about you," she added.
"Jism 2", which released Friday, has proved to be beyond just a bold attempt to show skin and sex. Sunny, who is paired with Arunoday Singh and Randeep Hooda in the movie, says she had fallen in love with its script.
"It's been almost 12 years or so... I have done everything under the sun, did everything that is wrong as per Indian culture. (For 'Jism 2'), I fell in love with the story. I loved reading it again and again, and this film will always be special for me," she added.Sunny is now expected to start shooting for Ekta Kapoor's "Ragini MMS 2" towards the end of 2012.