A phenomenon called Sunny Leone

Never before has an adult movie star risen to such fame in mainstream Indian cinema. Having starred in 41 adult films and having directed 42 adult films, she has come a long way from the way the world has known her. Sunny Leone (Karanjit Kaur Vohra) a Canadian celebrity of Indian origin, has today coveted a position in India’s media and entertainment market.

How did ‘Sunny Leone’ become a phenomenon?

Technically, her first appearance on the Indian television screens dates back to 2005 when she was the red carpet reporter for MTV Awards screened on MTV India.

But she hit the headlines when she made a prominent television appearance on the fifth edition of the popular reality show ‘Bigg Boss’ in 2011. Thanks to her presence the show not only got a stunning opening TRP but the channel position also soared to the top index.

Subsequently, she was offered the lead role in Mahesh Bhatt’s ‘Jism 2’ - an erotic thriller in 2012. Within a brief span of 4 years, Sunny Leone already has 15 plus films to her credit. Additionally, her strong on-screen appeal and viewership pull has resulted in multiple brand endorsements, frequent TV appearances, either as a guest or a celebrity judge on prime time family shows. Her sustained efforts, reach and appeal over the years has transpired into a premium brand that goes by the name of ‘Sunny Leone’.

For someone to transcend into Indian households from such a diverse background speaks of the enormity of the reach of her brand. She’s the perfect seductress and has been the number one choice for item numbers and music videos intended to catch eyeballs and generate buzz for upcoming Hindi films.

Today her brand equity has risen to feature alongside Bollywood’s most sought-after ‘A-listed’ actor - Shah Rukh Khan in an item number for his upcoming film Raees. With the recent release of this item number (Laila O Laila), she is already set to make waves and top the charts.

If that was not it, she launched her own perfume line ‘Lust By Sunny Leone’ earlier this year in Dubai and aspires to be perceived as a multi-faceted personality.

She has connected with Indian audiences where other sex symbols have failed to leave a mark. She has also been the most searched (Googled) celebrity in India, four years in a row leaving big names like Narendra Modi, Salman Khan and Deepika Padukone behind.

Historically, sex symbols have had a limited shelf life in Indian entertainment business. But Sunny Leone is simply unstoppable… isn’t she?