Sherlyn Chopra: The 36-year-old's dare to bare journey to fame

Love her or loathe her, but you cannot ignore her. Sherlyn Chopra has come a long way. On her birthday, February 11, we look back at her dare-bare journey...

Updated On: 2019-08-19 03:10 PM IST

Sherlyn Chopra: The 36-year-old's dare to bare journey to fame

Born on February 11, 1974, Sherlyn Chopra hails from Hyderabad, India. She was 15 when crowned Miss Andhra 1999. Sherlyn has a fairly large amount of fan following with her sex appeal and hotness. (All photos/Sherlyn Chopra's Instagram account)

Sherlyn Chopra raised eyebrows and made headlines seven years ago when she became the first Indian actress to pose nude in Playboy magazine.

But before gaining fame with the magazine cover, Sherlyn Chopra tried her hands at acting as well. However, her acting career never took off.

In 2002, Sherlyn Chopra made her acting debut with Telugu film Vendi Mabbu. In the same year, she acted in one Tamil film - University - and one English film Beeper.

Sherlyn Chopra first Bollywood film appearance was with 2005's Time Pass. She later appeared in films such as Dosti: Friends Forever (2005), Jawani Diwani: A Youthful Joyride (2006), Naughty Boy (2006), Game (2007), Raqeeb (2007), Red Swastik (2007) and  Dil Bole Hadippa! (2009).

Though none of the films gave Sherlyn Chopra any recognition as an actress, it was her 2012's stint with Playboy magazine that made her famous across the globe.

Sharing her experience of meeting the magazine's publisher Hugh Hefner, Sherlyn Chopra had told mid-day, "I wrote to him in May 2012, expressing my desire to do a shoot for Playboy. I got a reply in less than a week. I met him two months later at the famed Playboy mansion. It felt immensely exhilarating to be welcomed by an iconic entertainment mogul as his guest."

However, the magazine's cover got banned in no time, churning controversy. The photoshoot was said to be a scam as Sherlyn never got on the Playboy cover. By the time her photos were released, the production of print magazines was ceased. But Sherlyn Chopra's cover was released digitally.

Sharing her experience while doing a nude photoshoot, Sherlyn Chopra said, "It was the most amazing photoshoot and I can proudly say that these were the best days of my life."

A photoshoot entails the presence of a sizeable crew on the sets and Sherlyn gushed how it was never uncomfortable for her to shoot in front of them. She pointed out, "Not once did I feel awkward or embarrassed. They could not believe that I am an Indian and I could be so candid about my body."

Sherlyn Chopra further explained, "There were various themes like vintage jewellery, vintage costumes, Holi festival, the James Bond girl theme and the mystery woman theme. I first did a mock shoot with a photographer friend of mine to see how I looked without clothes. I loved what I saw and knew that with a professional team shooting me nude, I would look phenomenal."

Sherlyn Chopra, who was a chain smoker at one point, released an anti-smoking video on the eve of Independence day in 2018. During the launch of the video, Sherlyn Chopra said, "Through the video, I just want to pass on a message that the way we celebrate freedom on Independence Day, similarly, we should free ourselves from nicotine and celebrate healthier life."

Sherlyn Chopra joined hands with the government of Maharashtra to generate awareness for no-smoking through her video. "I showed my video to the Maharashtra government and I am thankful that they really like it. They felt that my video is a sincere and honest effort to educate people to give up smoking," she said.

When asked what message she will give to the audience who are struggling with addiction, she said, "I quit smoking in 2018 and hopefully till my last breath, I will support the no-smoking cause. I think despite being a chain smoker, if I can give up, then anybody can. It's not a big deal. We think that quitting smoking is difficult but it is not the case. It is a false belief that nicotine is a stress buster. If you want to chill, then go for a swim or talk to a friend. All it takes is just a little bit of tuning of our beliefs and if we changed those beliefs then our body automatically starts adjusting."

In 2019, Sherlyn Chopra released her song Tunu Tunu. The song crossed over 1 million views on Youtube in less than 12 hours. Later, Sherlyn Chopra made her official debut as a rapper with the single, Kataar, which too released in 2019!

What's next in store, Sherlyn?

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