In the unpredictable world of social media, Instagram Reels often acts as a time machine—reviving long-forgotten songs and moments from pop culture. The latest beneficiary of this trend is Sunny Leone’s chartbuster “Pink Lips” from Hate Story 2 (2014), which has suddenly surged back into popularity nearly a decade after its release.
Sunny, caught off guard by the song’s resurgence, recalls the moment she found out:
“I had no idea until my team and I were travelling and my manager said, ‘Pink Lips is everywhere right now.’ I was like, why? What happened?” she laughs. “But it was so exciting. I went on Instagram and saw the clips—it was amazing. I’m just happy people are enjoying it again.”
The song’s viral return also brought back vivid memories from the shoot.
“I remember everything about that set. Rehearsals were tough—sometimes even frustrating—but the choreography was so cool. Once we started shooting, it felt incredible,” Sunny says. “Back then, I never imagined the song would come back like this. I just want to thank whoever revived it—I genuinely want to meet them and say thank you.”
Throughout her career, Sunny has been the face of several iconic tracks like “Baby Doll” (Ragini MMS 2, 2014) and “Laila Main Laila” (Raees, 2016). She takes pride in being part of songs that continue to resonate with audiences years later.
“One of the first songs I did was ‘Laila’ from Shootout at Wadala (2013), and I still remember John Abraham turning to me and saying, ‘Trust me, people will be singing and dancing to this song forever.’ I didn’t get it then—I had just entered the industry—but he was absolutely right,” she reflects.
However, Sunny laments the shift in how songs are promoted in today’s film landscape.
“When I first came into the industry, releasing a song was a huge event. The whole momentum could carry the film,” she says. “Now, even though amazing songs come out, they often don’t stick. They just come and go.”
She hopes the era of blockbuster tracks making waves returns.
“I really hope the next generation of artists sees that kind of love. I want to see the time come back when people would be genuinely excited about a film’s music—and go to theatres just to watch that one big song on the big screen,” she concludes.
