Happy birthday Sunny Leone: Bollywood's 'baby doll' turns 40 today
Bollywood sensation Karenjit Kaur Vohra, aka Sunny Leone is celebrating her 40th birthday today. Leone became a household name ever since she retired from the porn industry and made a career in Bollywood. She made her debut with Jism 2 in 2012, and there was no looking back after that. Let's find out more about how Leone took the film industry by storm.
Leone powered through all the negativity that came her way
Her entry into Bollywood was marred by haters and constant derogatory remarks. From political parties banning her to getting death threats, she powered through it all. In an infamous interview, journalist Bhupendra Chaubey had badgered Leone about her past life as a porn star. However, her befitting responses won the hearts of many Bollywood celebrities, including Sushant Singh Rajput and Alia Bhatt.
"I am lucky that the audience is accepting me"
To recall, Leone had announced her retirement from the adult film industry in 2013. "I'm lucky that the audience is accepting me. I have come my way from there (porn industry). I don't have any plans as of now to go back there," she said.
Leone, an animal lover, is a vegan by choice
The actress is quite an activist when she isn't busy acting or spending time with her family. In fact, the Baby Doll performer was named PETA India's Person of the Year in 2016. She also featured in an animal campaign and promoted vegetarianism. Further, Leone has raised money for the American Cancer Society by participating in the Rock 'n' Roll Los Angeles Half-Marathon.
Her ZEE5 biopic series captured her life up close
The former adult star-turned-actress had her biopic series on ZEE5 called Karenjit Kaur - The Untold Story of Sunny Leone. It captures her life up close in a conservative middle-class Sikh family and how she breaks free from the shackles of society. The 20-episode series is spread out over three seasons and shows her intriguing journey to eventually becoming a Bollywood star.
Her family, net worth, and other details
Leone has been married to American actor and producer Daniel Weber since 2011. The couple has three kids together -- Nisha Kaur Weber, who was adopted from a village in Maharashtra, and twin boys Asher Singh Weber and Noah Singh Weber born through surrogacy. Notably, their combined net worth is estimated to be around Rs. 135 crore, according to Republic.
Did you know she is an accomplished writer?
She is also a writer, by the way. Leone has written a collection of 12 short romantic stories for women called Sweet Dreams. It was originally published as an e-book and released in April 2016. Later that year, a 200-page paperback edition of the book was also released. "I wrote these, from what I thought a woman would like to read," Leone once said.
Some lesser-known interesting Sunny Leone's trivia
Before making it big in Bollywood, she had worked at a German bakery, an automotive shop, and a financial firm. Around the same time, she was also studying to become a nurse. BBC ranked Leone in their 100 most influential women list in 2016. She also took classes from Aamir Khan's acting coach Prakash Bharadwaj (in pic) to improve her acting skills.
