Kennedy has reached the ongoing Cannes Film Festival, as has Sunny Leone. Her movie, helmed by Anurag Kashyap, premièring at the prestigious gala is perhaps the perfect example of how far the actor’s tenacity has brought her. “I’ve always believed that if you don’t give up, work hard, and stand by your own morals, you will be happy with your choices,” she says, looking back on her journey.   

In 2011, Leone left her profession as an adult star in the US and stepped into Indian showbiz with Bigg Boss 5, following it up with Hindi films. Was it exhausting to forge her path in an industry where people may have harboured judgment about her? “If it wasn’t for my fans, I wouldn’t have been here. Disappointment and feelings of rejection give us the option of either being negative, or figuring out our own path. This is one of the proudest moments of my career.”