Interview with TOI

My husband has baby fever right now: Sunny Leone

Post your parents, are you closer to your brother now?

I call both of us orphans. We just have each other. My mother was sick for a long time and then had organ failure. My father died of a broken heart. It's really sad to see your father in so much pain. He stopped laughing and smiling after my mother passed away. He removed every living thing from the house as he was really sad. He died in the form of cancer. I travelled a lot and therefore have a lot of guilt that I am not there with my brother and really want him to have a girlfriend for even small things like just giving him a hug that she could supply to him and make me feel a lot better. I understand why he does not want a girlfriend, but I so wish he had one.

Your parents would have been proud to see you in Bollywood. Do you miss them? I miss them every single day. Even if God brought them back for an hour, I want them to see who I am. My dad always wanted to see me successful. He wanted me to be above and beyond who I was and what I was doing. For me, it is always a tough moment, when a movie is releasing and I want nothing more than for them to come and see my film. I miss them at all my special moments and also the bad ones. Fortunately, for me, my husband Daniel's parents are Jewish and Jewish culture is very similar to Indian. His parents too are extremely caring and loving and are always thinking about us and calling us to ask how we are. I may not have my parents, but I am lucky to have them.

How did you meet Daniel?

I met him through a common friend, who, actually, I did not like much. Daniel would be stalking me and emailing me and proclaimed love at first sight. He ended up sending me flowers and chocolates everywhere. We finally had our first date and while I have OCD with time, I consciously got late and even ate my food before I went. But what ended up happening was that we talked for the whole night over a glass of wine without opening the menu and realised that we really hit it off well.

It was the most amazing date I ever had. I liked the fact that he was coming from a normal family where his parents were a very loving couple. For me, I wanted something like my parents, who fought, sometimes hated each other, but they loved each other and stayed together and did everything together. We saw each other for three years before we got married.

I like the fact that he is really independent and that he is really smart. He is extremely attentive and caring and loving. My mother died just three months post my meeting him. In those three months, we were only getting to know each other. Usually when you have some life-altering situations, your boyfriends run away. But Daniel was there and was by my side. She did not get to meet him. And the first time she met him was at her funeral. I had to introduce them at her funeral and say, 'Mom, this is Daniel, Daniel this is mom.' He is extremely business-savvy and protective. He is my best friend and we laugh all day long. We do everything together. We don't argue or fight. I think he likes the fact that I am always positive. Even when our worlds come crashing down, I try and remain positive. When I see a friend arguing with their parents, I feel like shaking them and saying, 'You have no idea whether your parents will be there tomorrow or not.' At one point, their time will end and that time can end in one second and you may not even get to say bye. I am not complicated. My parents always told me, 'Money is not everything Karen.' (Sunny's original name is Karenjit). And I don't have them anymore, but I get it today. For me, so far as my family is healthy and my friends happy, I just want to do my work and go back home.

What are you like?

The good is I am hard-working and it does not matter what the task is. I take criticism really well or I think I do. I am just a normal girl who, at the end of the day, makes her husband roti and dal- chawal. My rotis may not be round, but I can make them. I am extremely loyal to my friends. I am fun-loving and have a lot of patience. I love Daniel the most. He is an angel and has made my life so beautiful and so nice. The bad thing is that I am not around for family functions. I give up all my time and Daniel is always trying to conserve it. He is very secure and we are like yin and yang.

I will work myself into getting sick, but my work is what I have and is my life. I used to get a lot of attention even earlier, but the Indian fans' love for their Bollywood stars is insane. Somehow, people here have accepted me and I know I have more people loving me than hating me. The most interesting part on a tour is when a mother comes to me and says, 'Here, take a picture with my baby' and every single time in my head I am going, 'Do you know who I am?' I believe in God and karma. I believe in the idea of just being a good human being and not cheating anyone.

Do you look forward to becoming a mother?

My husband has baby fever right now. I keep saying, 'Hold on, tiger.' He wants a baby so bad. All my friends are pregnant and I don't know what is happening this year. I want a baby sooner than later, but I also believe that I must hold on to this moment in my life as it will not repeat itself.