she was searched for all the wrong reasons.
Google India’s most searched Indian celebrities have been unveiled for 2020.
The likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Kanika Kapoor and Rhea Chakraborty have made it onto the list for different reasons.
It is not just celebrities that Indians have been searching for on Google.
Unsurprisingly, Coronavirus has dominated the various trend lists, however, the number one overall search was the Indian Premier League which was won by the Mumbai Indians.
Other searched-for terms on Google include the US Election, popular web series Money Heist and the Bollywood film Dil Bechara.
When it comes to celebrities, they have appeared on the list for different reasons. We have a look at the Indian personalities that have been searched for by Google users throughout 2020.
Arnab Goswami
Republic TV news anchor Arnab Goswami is the number one searched-for Indian celebrity in India and the number two celebrity overall, after President-elect Joe Biden.
He attracted a lot of attention after he was arrested in November 2020 in connection with the 2018 suicide case of Anvay Naik.
In his suicide note, Anvay alleged non-payment of dues from three individuals including Arnab, as the reason for taking his own life.
Arnab was later released on interim bail by the Supreme Court of India.
Republic TV has also been allegedly involved in a television rating points scam.
Kanika Kapoor
Kanika Kapoor may be a surprising addition on the list, however, she was searched for all the wrong reasons.
The singer was one of the first Indian celebrities to contract Covid-19 but drew a lot of criticism for allegedly not following quarantine rules.
It was alleged that she attended various parties in India after returning from the UK as well as hiding her travel history.
An FIR was also registered against Kanika for negligence and committing offences that could have spread the virus.
Amitabh Bachchan
Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan received a lot of Google searches after he, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Aaradhya Bachchan became the first high-profile Indian family to contract Covid-19.
News channels and websites covered the news extensively.
From his time in hospital to his recovery, everything was available online for his concerned fans.
While Amitabh made a full recovery, fans also searched for health updates.
Rhea Chakraborty
Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty has been in the headlines since the tragic death of her boyfriend and actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June 2020.
Following his death, there was a lot of speculation that Rhea was involved. She was also accused of being a golddigger.
Google searches increased further after Rhea’s name came up in the Bollywood drugs controversy.
It was alleged that she supplied drugs to Sushant. She, her brother Showik and several others were subsequently arrested.
She spent a month in jail before she was released on bail.
Sushant was also a prominent Google India search for users.
Ankita Lokhande
Ankita Lokhande also features on the list of Google India’s most-searched-for Indian celebrities of 2020.
After her ex-boyfriend Sushant died, Ankita was at the centre of attention.
She was frequently seen with his family and demanded justice for the actor on social media.
Sushant and Ankita had started dating on the sets of their popular TV show Pavitra Rishta. They also lived together for years before their break-up.
Ankita became a trending topic in September 2020 when fans sided with her after Shibani Dandekar slammed her open letter.
Ankita had written an open letter, calling Rhea Chakraborty “careless” for letting Sushant take drugs. This prompted Shibani to say that Ankita was using “her two seconds of fame”, however, it led to Shibani being trolled.
Kangana Ranaut
Throughout 2020, Kangana Ranaut has been a prominent Google search for different reasons, most of which controversial.
She has been giving her opinion on various actors and actresses whenever they come out and say something.
Kangana actively campaigned for justice following Sushant’s death. She then started slamming Bollywood as a whole, claiming that there was a “Bollywood Mafia”.
This led to Bollywood stars slamming Kangana for criticising the industry she is a part of.
Kangana attracted further attention in December 2020 after making controversial comments in relation to the Farmers’ Protest.
This resulted in a public Twitter feud with Diljit Dosanjh and it looks like it is not about to come to an end.
These are the top names from the world of Indian entertainment to be searched on Google in 2020.
Other personalities on the list include Afghani cricketer Rashid Khan, who gained attention after a Google error resulted in Anushka Sharma being named as his wife.
Also on the list is Kamala Harris who will become the first female Vice-President. Her Indian roots have contributed to her Google popularity in India.
It will be interesting to see what names will be searched-for in 2021.