Sunny Side Up
Sunny Leone has been an enigma to Indian society – on one hand she has broken the shackles and showcased a side of India which is accepting and tolerant; on the other hand she has riled up self appointed moralists who stake claim to the country’s tradition.
A lot has been said and spoken about Sunny’s past. Even a documentary has been made on it. Despite all odds, today she is a household name in an industry embroiled in controversies around nepotism. That is where she made her mark and created a brand for herself. From being introduced as an Indo-Canadian porn star to the Indian audience, today she is widely accepted as a popular Bollywood actor and for bringing about social change.
In an industry that frequently caters to people’s sexual desires and monetises it, Sunny Leone stands alone among actors who speak up about safe sex. Given how most actresses rush to appease and pretend sex doesn’t exist, Sunny is a breath of fresh air.
Indians have innovative ways to come out of the shackles and through Sunny’s journey we can see young India emerging – by rejecting the dogma, which constricts us. However, at the same time, she has brought to the fore the farcical morality brigade, who choose to judge and dictate the rules of how one must live – but through her career graph and her most recent adoption of a girl from Latur – she has shown that passion, intelligence and talent is what really needs to be adhered to.
By Manish Tiwari, MD of Here and Now 365
