Meet Sunny Leone, the ex-porn actress turned Bollywood icon who is India’s most searched for person of 2016
Karenjit Kaur Vohra, 35, made the leap from raunchy adult films to Indian blockbusters
SHE bears an uncanny resemblance to Kim Kardashian, has millions of adoring social media fans and has starred in an array of movie blockbusters – but Sunny Leone is probably the most famous person you’ve never heard of.
The 35-year-old porn star turned Bollywood icon, whose real name is Karenjit Kaur Vohra, has just been crowned India’s most googled person of the year – trumping Prime Minister Narendra Modi and veteran Hindu actor Salman Khan.
Sunny, who has held the coveted title for five years in a row, has also been thrust into the limelight in Britain after being featured in the BBC’s 100 Women series.
The corporation has interviewed the most “inspirational and influential” female faces from around the world in 2016.
She told the station: “It is your right as a woman to follow your dream and it’s your responsibility to make them come true.”
Born in Ontario, Canada, to Indian Sikh immigrants in 1981, Sunny was training to become a nurse when she made a career U-turn, moved to LA and found work in the adult entertainment industry.
The brunette, who lost her virginity to a basketball player at 16 and came out as bisexual at 18, carved out a name for herself after starring in X-rated films, ‘Descent into Bondage’ and ‘Costumed Damsels in Distress’.
She was crowned ‘Penthouse Pet of the Year’ in 2003 and was named one of Maxim’s top risqué icons in 2010.
After making 56 blue movies, Sunny moved to India in 2011 and appeared on Celebrity Big Brother-inspired local reality TV show "Bigg Boss".
The stunner, who has had a boob job, made her Bollywood debut the following year and has appeared in more than eight high-grossing films, including a comedy called ‘Mastizaade’, in which she plays a sexy, bikini-clad character called Laila.
But while Sunny is clearly a popular figure, her porn past has coveted controversy in a country that is coy about discussing sex and sensuality.
Some critics have even accused her of destroying conservative Indian culture.
"When I came here there were a lot of people who didn't want me here and there were a lot of people who had lots of crazy things to say about me," she told AFP during an interview in Mumbai earlier this year.
"But I have so many more fans who care about me, that like me, that like the movies that I've put out, or songs or photo shoots. I've had more supporters than I've had haters."
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Big name stars such as Aamir Khan, Rishi Kapoor, and Anushka Sharma, have previously taken to Twitter to voice their support for Sunny.
She added: "When I first got into the industry it was definitely not a good feeling when people are not so happy about your choices in life.
"But as time has gone by, especially over the last six months, I've gotten to know and I've gotten to meet some amazing celebrities and it's a journey.”
Sunny admits one of her toughest moments was when a woman filed a police complaint against her in Mumbai last year for "promoting obscenity and destroying Indian culture and society".
Police are obliged to register a case when such complaints are made and there have been reports of others.
"It's definitely something that did affect me. It was not fun at all," she said of the complaint.
"Hopefully situations like that don't come up again because I'm not a part of that world anymore and I don't think it's fair to bring up things that have no merit at this point in time in my life."
Sunny, who married musician Daniel Weber in 2011, is wary about being typecast and is focused on bagging more serious roles in the future.
"I think that transition also takes time and with each movie it's different," she explained.
"Is there sex appeal? Is there glamour? Yes of course but in the next couple of movies we'll find out if people like seeing me in a different way."
She has been working with Aamir Khan’s acting coach who is helping her with diction, emoting on screen and other acting skills.
Sunny, who has an estimated net worth of £1.9million, has over seven million Instagram fans.
She regularly uploads short clips of her film projects, stunning selfies and candid snaps of exotic getaways.