Bollywood actress and former porn star Sunny Leone appeared in New Delhi on Tuesday for the unveiling of her wax likeness at the city's Madame Tussauds museum, a symbol of changing cultural mores in a country where arranged marriages remain common and celebrity kisses in public constitute front-page news.
The statue represents the Canadian-born, Indian-American actress and entrepreneur's acceptance by mainstream Indian society even as conservative Indian politicians condemn her porn-star past.
Born Karenjit Kaur Vohra to a Sikh Punjabi family, Leone, 37, made a name for herself in the porn industry before breaking into Bollywood in 2012, starring in the sequel to the hit movie "Jism," Hindi for "body."
Bollywood actress and former porn star Sunny Leone stands with her wax likeness during its unveiling at the Madame Tussauds museum in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018.The statue unveiled Tuesday represents the 37-year-old celebrity's acceptance by mainstream Indian society even as conservative Indian politicians condemn her porn-star past. (AP PhotoAnupam Nath)
A string of movies, a documentary and a Netflix biopic have garnered her huge audiences — even as critics have panned her acting abilities.
For years, Leone has been India's most Googled entertainer. With the statue, Leone joins the pantheon of Indian celebrities — including Bollywood stars Madhubala and Katrina Kaif, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi — immortalized in wax.
Leone's rise in India has not been without controversy.
Bollywood actress and former porn star Sunny Leone stands with her wax likeness during its unveiling at the Madame Tussauds museum in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018.The statue unveiled Tuesday represents the 37-year-old celebrity's acceptance by mainstream Indian society even as conservative Indian politicians condemn her porn-star past. (AP PhotoAnupam Nath)
In 2011, Anurag Thakur, head of the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party, now India's ruling party, and a member of India's Parliament, sought to censure a TV channel that ran a reality-TV show featuring Leone.
Thakur argued that an adult-entertainment star's appearance on the show would have a "negative impact on the mindset of children."
In 2015, India's Community Party leader Atul Kumar Anjan decried a condom ad featuring Leone as "disgusting and dirty," and said it promoted sex and could lead to a rise in rape cases in India.
People raise their mobile phones to take photos and videos of Bollywood actress and former porn star Sunny Leone during the unveiling of her wax likeness at the Madame Tussauds museum in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018. The statue unveiled Tuesday represents the 37-year-old celebrity's acceptance by mainstream Indian society even as conservative Indian politicians condemn her porn-star past. (AP PhotoAnupam Nath)
An antagonistic interview with Bhupendra Chaubey of CNN News18 inspired a firestorm in the Indian press and on social media.
In the interview, Chaubey asked whether Leone regretted working in the porn industry, and whether she was aware that Indian housewives worried she would steal their husbands.
Chaubey said some found Leone "completely antithetical to what we perceive as the ideal of an Indian woman."
Bollywood actress and former porn star Sunny Leone attends the unveiling of her wax likeness at the Madame Tussauds museum in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018. The statue unveiled Tuesday represents the 37-year-old celebrity's acceptance by mainstream Indian society even as conservative Indian politicians condemn her porn-star past. (AP PhotoAnupam Nath)
While some viewers lambasted Chaubey for sexism, Indian author and marketing maven Suhel Seth tweeted that it was "a mirror unto us! How many people before this interview were willing to be by her side?"
"I don't see myself the way other people see me," Leone said in a news conference Tuesday, adding that the statue stood for "women speaking up and women doing what they're passionate about."
DETROIT (AP) — The Oakland Athletics no longer have to wonder where they'll play the next few seasons. That won't make the long goodbye any easier.
The A's reacted to the announcement that this will be their last year in Oakland with a mixture of sadness and relief.
“At least as a player, you know where you’re headed,” outfielder Seth Brown said Friday before a game against the Tigers in Detroit. “There’s obviously a lot of moving parts, a lot of stuff we’re not privy to, so it’s just been kind of a waiting game on our end. Where are we going to go? Where are we going to be? So I think just having that knowledge -- at least we know where we’re going to be playing next year.”
Vivek Ranadivé, who owns the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, and Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher announced Thursday that the A’s will temporarily relocate to West Sacramento's Sutter Health Park for at least three seasons. The A's are moving to Las Vegas after a new ballpark is constructed.
The River Cats, who are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, will continue to play at the same facility.
Fisher was unable to reach an agreement with Oakland city officials on extending the lease at Oakland Coliseum, which expires at the end of this season. The A's have played in the city since 1968.
“There's direction now, which we've talked a lot about,” Oakland A's manager Mark Kotsay said. “We've got time to kind of reflect on what this really means from an organizational standpoint, the history that we've had in Oakland, with this being now the final season. There's a lot of emotion that goes behind this.”
It will not only cause some upheaval for the players and staff but also members of the organization that work behind the scenes.
“At the end of the day, we know where we're going to be for the next three seasons after the finish this year and that in itself gives a little bit of stability,” Kotsay said. “At the same time, in the present, it's challenging in certain ways to think about the finality of this organization in Oakland.”
Sacramento will be a much smaller environment to house a major league team. Ranadivé said the River Cats venue currently seats 16,000 when counting the stands, the lawn behind center field and standing room only.
First baseman Ryan Noda is concerned with the facilities. He's hopeful that significant upgrades will be made, much like the Toronto Blue Jays did at Buffalo's Triple-A facility. The Blue Jays played at Buffalo's Sahlen Field in 2020 in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“New walls, new dugouts, new locker rooms — everything they needed to become a big league stadium,” said Noda, who played some games in Sacramento as a minor leaguer. “As long as we can do something like that, then it'll be all right. But it's definitely going to be different than playing in stadiums that hold 40,000 people.”
Kotsay is confident the upgrades will occur.
“I know it will be of major league baseball quality,” he said. “It's has to be of major league baseball quality. I know the Players Association will make sure that takes place, as they did in Buffalo.”
For the rest of this season, the A's will have to deal with small home crowds and disappointed fans.
“We’re sad for the fans, the diehard fans, who always come to our games, always support us, always support the boys wearing the jersey,” Noda said.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, center, shakes hands John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics, before the start of a news conference where Fisher announced his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4 2024.The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, announces that his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple A team Sacramento River Cats, is shown in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The Oakland Athletics announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay walks to the dugout after making a pitching change during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
