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Twenty-seven-year-old Puneet Agarwal is receiving over a 100 calls a day from men across India and different parts of the world asking him the same question: “can I speak to Sunny Leone?” They believe Agarwal is the only wall between them.
The callers tell him that they want to talk to Sunny Leone – a former American porn star who has since entered into Bollywood. Agarwal, a resident of Delhi, has tried to convince all of them that it is not her phone number but they all believe it is really her number.
Agarwal hasn’t been able to work, sleep or even eat his meals in peace since his number was shared by the Bollywood actress.
It all started with famous Indian singer and actor Diljit Dosanjg’s latest movie – Arjun Patiala – where Leone has played a special number and at the end of which, she gives Dosanjh ‘her number’. One assumes that this must be a made-up number or one that is no longer in use. However, the number turned out to be of Agarwal – who has receiving inappropriate calls since July 26 when movie was released.
Fans believe that Agarwal is blocking their access to Leone – who has acted in erotic thrillers & adult comedies and is often portrayed as a sex symbol. After the release of the movie, he said, he had been receiving more than 100 calls a day and the phone keeps ringing until four in the morning. “I am being harassed by many callers, people are abusing me and asking me to do dirty favors,” Agarwal said.
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“Since the release of the movie, I started receiving calls from unknown people asking me to let them talk to Sunny Leone. Initially, I thought somebody is playing a prank on me, but after a while, I got to know that the makers of the movie have actually used my number and Sunny Leone’s character in the movie dictates my number,” said Agarwal.
Agarwal hasn’t been able to work, sleep or even eat his meals in peace since his number was shared by the Bollywood actress. He said he can’t give up the phone number because it is connected to his business and many old friends have the number.
The callers tell him that they want to talk to Sunny Leone – a former American porn star who has since entered into Bollywood.
The callers start calling from 8:30am, he said, adding that the phone keeps ringing every five to 10 minutes for the rest of the day, making it impossible for him to concentrate on anything he is doing.
Most of the calls are from the northern Indian states of Punjab or Haryana since the film’s lead actor is popular in that region, he told BBC, adding that he has also received calls from Italy, Dubai, Pakistan and Australia.
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Aa Gaye Aa Gaye … #ArjunPariala & Team 🕺🏽💃 @SunnyLeone @varunsharma90
Advance Booking OPEN NOW 😍 pic.twitter.com/MhbyUG4NrG
— DILJIT DOSANJH (@diljitdosanjh) July 24, 2019
A caller from New Zealand has been the most persistent caller, he said, adding that the man sent his photos and asked for them to be shown to Leone and for photos of her to be sent to him. In addition, he revealed, only two women have so far dialled the number. One said that she wanted to speak to any actor while the other one asked Agarwal to speak to her for some time. “I said that would not be possible and hung up,” he says, laughing.
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Sunny Leone apologizes to Agarwal, victim ready to take legal action
In an interview, Bollywood actress Sunny Leone has apologized to the Delhi main who is now harassed and abused by her fans. The apology has come after Leone learnt that the number she dictated in the movie belongs to Agarwal and he is not taking is well.
The calls have disrupted his life to such an extent that he has decided to take legal action to try to get the film edited so his phone number is bleeped out.
BBC reported that Agarwal tried to register a police complaint but the police were unable to help since the callers were not committing a criminal offence. Instead, it said, they suggested that he approach a court, adding that Agarwal has since filed a petition to have his number removed from the film.
He doesn’t want to sue the producers but says he just wants to make sure his phone number isn’t publicized further – such as when the film becomes available on streaming networks. He told BBC that he wants to prevent this from happening to anyone else.
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Meet ‘Delhi’s Sunny Leone’, real one has gone to have a bath
In his interview with BBC, he said the whole incident has become so absurd that his friends, colleagues and neighbours now tease him – they call him “Delhi’s Sunny Leone” and sing her hit songs when they see him.
“It’s become a joke and that’s fine, but this shouldn’t happen again,” he told BBC. “I try to laugh it off but it has got out of control.”
He hopes the calls will stop soon. In the meantime, he’s found a solution to keep the calls short. “I just tell them she’s gone to have a bath and cannot speak right now.”
