By Akshay Acharya

Mumbai, Oct 19 (IANS): The last thing you'd expect Sunny Leone to do well is tickle your funny bone, but she does it (and how!) on 'One Mic Stand Season 2', whose trailer is out. Leone, in fact, is the star performer in the trailer.

By the looks of it, the second season of the funny show is going to be even bigger, with some of the biggest names across the board trying their hand at stand-up comedy. The show features a slew of well-known comedians who have acted as mentors to talented people from various walks of life. They've honed their skills and punchlines, and made sure that the jokes land perfectly.

Sunny Leone is one such prominent name from the show. On the surface, it may seem like all fun and games, but deep down, Sunny was quite nervous to say the least when it came to delivering impeccable punchlines in front of a live audience.

Talking about her experience, the actress told IANS: "I have loved stand-up comedy and I have watched several shows here and internationally as well. Seeing a comedian perform on stage looks so simple and natural, but the reality of how difficult it is to actually connect with audiences and make them crack up on every joke is something I have learnt very closely now."

She added: "As an artiste I am always looking to try new things and showcase my skills to the audience in more ways than one, so when I got the chance to be on One Mic Stand 2, I grabbed it like a hawk."

The actress shared that she always tries to up the ante by portraying different sides of herself. She said: "I am always trying to showcase different sides of myself to my fans and my audience, which is why I was attracted to this show in the first place. I thoroughly enjoyed the last season of 'One Mic Stand'. I thought it was hilarious, the sets that the celebrity guests produced were excellent, so the pressure was on to match that level of finesse."

Continuing with her serious take on the business of humour, Leone said: "I am used to remembering long dialogues and delivering them, but performing live has its own thrill. Stand-up comedy is scarier than falling on a ramp during a fashion show. Imagine cracking a joke and nobody laughs, that was my biggest fear."

On how it has changed her own view of herself, the actress added: "I've got to say, I learnt to take a joke or two on myself and saw the world around me in a lighter perspective. I'm glad to have collaborated with Neeti [Palta], she has such a fresh take on everything and she is a natural. Working with women is always fun because you understand each other's perspectives and experiences like nobody else and that's what made my set work so well."

'One Mic Stand' is one of Amazon India's flagship shows. It will feature Sunny Leone, along with other towering figures, including Karan Johar, Chetan Bhagat, Raftaar and Faye D'Souza. Mentoring them will be comedians such as Sumukhi Suresh, Samay Raina, Neeti Palta, Atul Khatri and Abish Mathew. Hosted by Sapan Verma of the EIC collective, the show will premiere on October 22.