Home / Arts and Entertainment / Bhatt: Audience wanted porn, not wife, from Sunny Leone
Bhatt: Audience wanted porn, not wife, from Sunny Leone
3 Aug
Summary
- Audience expected an adult star, not a wife, from Sunny Leone.
- Jism 2 suffered from mismatched viewer expectations.
- The film was a box office success despite mixed reception.
Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt reflected on Sunny Leone's 2012 debut in Bollywood with Jism 2, attributing its challenging reception to audience expectations.
Bhatt recounted how Sunny Leone's participation in Bigg Boss 5 sparked debate, leading to his unexpected meeting with her inside the house. He noted that Pooja Bhatt had already begun Jism 2's promotion with a silhouette poster, creating significant anticipation.
Despite the film's box office success, earning ₹30 crore in its initial run, Bhatt explained that audiences expected an adult film star to deliver more explicit content. He stated that viewers "didn't want to see an adult star wanting to become a wife," but rather a "more naked and raw porn star."
This mismatch between viewer expectations and the film's narrative resulted in what Bhatt termed a "narrative flaw." He acknowledged that Sunny Leone's immense Google search popularity, irrespective of the film's quality, drove distributors to invest heavily.
Bhatt also shared that Pooja Bhatt had initially wanted Sunny Leone for the first Jism film years prior, but a contract prevented it. He praised Sunny Leone's subsequent growth as an actor, citing her role in Anurag Kashyap's Kennedy, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, as a significant professional achievement.
