The adult industry got lucky when Priya Rai came knocking at their door. Not only was she pretty much the only Indian performer in the business but she was one of the most beautiful. Her dusky, exotic looks and unbelievable body made her an instant hit. Add to that, the fact that she’s an awesome performer and you have one of the best all-around female performers in porn. The former model worked practically constantly for the next five years cementing her status as an adult industry legend. Now officially retired, Priya is still busy feature dancing and working on other projects. Mens Mag Daily was lucky enough to have the opportunity to sit down with Priya to discuss how she got into the industry, what she looks for in a guy, and why she wanted to stay under the radar as a performer.
Mens Mag Daily: So Priya, you’re officially retired now?
Priya Rai: I am officially retired. I’ve been retired for about two years now.
Mens Mag Daily: Wow, how did your fans take it when you retired?
Priya Rai: My fans are not happy at all about it. They want me to do a comeback. It’s pretty funny. They were actually contacting companies and stuff. I still get asked all the time.
Mens Mag Daily: Is a comeback a possibility?
Priya Rai: I mean there’s always a possibility. I never say never.
Mens Mag Daily: And you started in 2007, right?
Priya Rai: Yes I started in 2007. Before that I had done some modeling.
Mens Mag Daily: You actually danced for a long time.
Priya Rai: I was a dancer for fourteen years. It’s how I raised my children and bought my house and everything.
Mens Mag Daily: Where are you originally from Priya?
Priya Rai: I’m originally from New Delhi, India. I was born there but raised in Arizona.
Mens Mag Daily: How did the progression to actually doing scenes happen?
Priya Rai: It wasn’t much of a progression honestly. I had gone to a couple of parties in Phoenix and that’s where Jenna Jameson used to be based out of. I knew the whole crew when Jenna was all huge and everything. I was at one of the parties and I’m talking to this guy and I was telling him about how I was considering trying to do some acting. He told me I looked like a porn star but I had never considered that. I met a lot of the right people and the next thing you know I was being flown out to L.A. to meet with my agent.
Mens Mag Daily: Did you have any idea that you were going to reach the level of popularity that you did?
Priya Rai: Not at all, that’s actually why I did a lot of gonzo and stuff because I wanted to be low-key. I didn’t do a lot of big features and stuff but it just happened that way.
Mens Mag Daily: So you kind of wanted to fly under the radar?
Priya Rai: I really did. I’m not really an attention whore so throughout my career, doing appearances and red carpet stuff was always a little difficult for me. I didn’t need all the attention.
Mens Mag Daily: Well, you actually kind of failed miserably then because you’re one of the most popular pornstars ever.
Priya Rai: (Laughs) Thank you.
Mens Mag Daily: You’re obviously beautiful but what made you so popular, especially since you didn’t even want that level of popularity and tried to avoid it?
Priya Rai: Well, I was never a porn watcher so when I went on set I just did what I did. I wasn’t trying to be anybody else. I couldn’t if I wanted because I had nobody to reference. I think the fact that I am Indian probably played a small part. You have a girl like Sunny Leone but she doesn’t do guys and I started out hardcore doing men.
Mens Mag Daily: So you were basically the only game in town as far as Indian women went?
Priya Rai: Oh yeah, I mean I was getting booked left and right.
Mens Mag Daily: And would you say in general that you enjoyed your job?
Priya Rai: Oh definitely, it’s so much fun. I’ve had so many opportunities because of my job. I met amazing people. I learned a lot as far as hair and make-up goes. I didn’t really know about designers and stuff before I got into the industry so I kind of became a woman there, you know?
Mens Mag Daily: What have you been doing since you retired?
Priya Rai: I do feature dancing. I can jelly. (Laughs) I’ve kind of become like a Suzy Homemaker. I travel around a lot doing appearances. I’m actually going to be doing a world tour so if anybody wants to book me there’s a flyer on my Twitter.
Mens Mag Daily: Do guys get star struck when they see you at an appearance or feature dancing?
Priya Rai: (Laughs) Maybe a little, sometimes. I have a good act so they’re pretty nice. I like to get a little tipsy. I have two acts and one of them I actually do in a traditional Indian costume.
Mens Mag Daily: It must be fun, you get to travel and see different places.
Priya Rai: It is great but it can be exhausting. I live in L.A. now and people are always trying to get me to go out and do things. I usually prefer to stay home, smoke a blunt, and be in my PJ’s.
Mens Mag Daily: You’ve actually done some mainstream stuff.
Priya Rai: Yes I have, I did a music video for a Pakistani rapper in Montreal. I was in a movie in Asia called Isis Rising: Curse of the Lady Mummy. I played the lead role of Isis. It was really cool. You can actually find that on the internet now, it wasn’t available for a while. I’m actually preparing for a mainstream project right now, I can’t say too much about it but I am excited. All I can say is it’s a very popular TV show.
Mens Mag Daily: You’re also doing the radio thing now.
Priya Rai: Yes, that’s right. I have my own show on Radio Temptation. I kind of cover everything that has to do with the industry from make up to last week I had a tantric instructor on. I’ve had pornstars on as well.
Mens Mag Daily: Do you get to set up all the segments and have creative control on the show?
Priya Rai: Yeah, there’s really no set format. I just go in there and talk shit. People call in and ask questions, it’s a lot of fun.
Mens Mag Daily: You’re a porn legend, how does it feel to have that status?
Priya Rai: I’m very honored but it’s hard to really say too much on it because I don’t look at myself like that. I’m a very humble person. You know, it’s a job for me.
Mens Mag Daily: Since porn is such a different kind of job, is it kind of hard to separate it from your everyday life?
Priya Rai: It can definitely be a little difficult. It’s hard to form a relationship with a man. I meet guys that are a little too clingy, Captain Save-A-Ho types. I think they might not know how to handle the whole porn thing.
Mens Mag Daily: So should he be kind of aloof so he doesn’t come off so serious and clingy?
Priya Rai: No, not at all, if I like somebody I want them to call. It’s just like, if I don’t feel like talking, don’t force me to talk. I think some guys might have a little bit of an obsession and some might want to show me off. My goal is to find somebody that doesn’t care about all that stuff and kind of just loves me for me.
Mens Mag Daily: You seem kind of low maintenance.
Priya Rai: Yeah, I totally am. I don’t even wear make-up most of the time. I’m just chill. I’m not saying I don’t like to party, I like to go out once in a while. It’s better that way. When I go out all the time it starts not even being fun anymore. I like to save it for special occasions. Other than that, I like to watch movies at home.
Mens Mag Daily: Do you feel like men get intimidated by you?
Priya Rai: Yeah, guys are very intimidated to the point where if it’s time to have sex they can’t even perform. I have to reassure them that it happens all the time. There were times where that even happened at work, like a performer wouldn’t even look me in the eyes.
Mens Mag Daily: Alright Priya, do you have anything coming up that you want to tell us about?
Priya Rai: I’ve got a lot of club dates coming up and the best way to keep up with what I’m doing is to follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/priyaanjalirai.
Article By: Jon DaBove
