Mumbai, May 7 (IANS): Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Sunny Leone and Katrina Kaif are the most widely sought Indian women celebrities globally when it comes to online searches, according to a new survey.

The three fermale celebrities were respectively searched an average 39 lakh, 31 lakh, and 19 lakh times between January and April 2020, according to an SEMrush study after analysing global data.

The study also found that globally Salman Khan, Virat Kohli, and Hrithik Roshan were the three most-searched male Indian celebrities. Each respectively was searched an average 21 lakh, 20 lakh, and 13 lakh times.

As the numbers prove, the report states that the notion that "male celebrities are far more popular and marketable than female celebrities" isn't true.

In descending order, other male celebrities in the top ten were Rohit Sharma, Allu Arjun, Shah Rukh Khan, Tiger Shroff, Vijay Deverakonda, MS Dhoni, and Mahesh Babu.

The other women celebrities, in descending order, were Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Disha Patani, Sara Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shraddha Kapoor, and Rashmika Mandanna.

The study also found that fans are reacting to celebrities' social media posts to spread awareness about the coronavirus pandemic.

In his most popular tweet, Salman urged his followers to take the situation seriously. The tweet was viewed 1.3 million times and retweeted over 20,000 times. One of the most popular tweets by Priyanka comes forward to support the fight against COVID-19. In the tweet, she assured her fans that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

"Indian women have the edge over men. Our research shows that the most searched for Indian celebrity isn't a man but a woman, namely Priyanka Chopra. Over the three months, the study was conducted, she was sought by almost 20 lakh more people than Salman Khan -- the most searched for male celebrity in India," said Fernando Angulo, Head of Communications, SEMrush.