Haters can keep on hating all they want, but Indo-Canadian former adult film star Sunny Leone deserves a lot of credit not only for successfully making the transition to mainstream movies, but doing so in as notoriously conservative an industry (and, for that matter, nation as a whole) as that in India. That she's been able to achieve such a still-rare career shift with a certain amount of ease should not earn her any disdain, for she's only been making the most of the opportunities presented to her, and the Indian moviegoing public has so far accepted her, if her more than decent box office track record is any indication. However, if anyone deserves a side-eye, it's the Bollywood producers who so shamelessly exploit her porno past in the States with less a coy wink-wink than a crass shove--case in point, her next big screen appearance, in the erotic thriller sequel Hate Story 2. Despite having predictably played lead roles in Hindi films of the genre, here she only has one of those uniquely Indian film cameo appearances performing a sultry item number. Filmmakers always use such dance performances to up the sex appeal factor, and the loaded casting of Leone alone only multiplies that factor. Even then, in case the viewer somehow doesn't get just how naughty and possibly scandalous Leone's mere presence is, the song she performs is titled... "Pink Lips." Just in case the double entendre is lost on people, she lipsynchs (the song's cooing vocals are provided by playback singer Khushboo Grewal) the song's oft-repeated title lyrics while making a rather evocative hand gesture in the choreography. And if that weren't clear enough, the chorus's final line makes a word substitution: "I know you want my baby lips." And if that still isn't enough, director Vishal Pandya's camera lingers less on Leone's mouth than on her legs and thighs. Watch and listen below, and marvel at how boldly brazen it all is... and how, despite your better judgment, how Meet Bros Anjjan's bouncy melody and Kumaar's repetitive lyrics drill their way into your long term memory.
Hate Story 2 opens in cinemas in India this Friday, July 18.
