Extending unprecedented support to the Indian contingent this year, the country moved beyond Cricket, as Rio Olympics 2016 emerged as the most searched topic, according to the ‘Year Recap of Trending Stories’ by Google India.
Indian women athletes who stole the show at the gala event with their spectacular performances topped the charts with Badminton star and Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and gymnast Dipa Karmakar bagging the 2nd and 4th spots respectively in the ‘Overall Trending Personality’ searches.
Wrestler and Olympic champion Sakshi Malik also featured among the Top 10 trending personalities on Google. Following the Rio games was the virtual reality game ‘Pokemon Go’ that took the world by storm.
The US presidential elections have always been closely watched in India but this year the interest was a notch higher, with president-elect Donald Trump running for the polls. Trump emerged on top of the list of ‘Trending Personalities’.
An interesting entry on the third position of ‘Overall Trending Personality’ searches was made by the latest social media obsession Sonam Gupta who has been under the spotlight after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the demonetisation move.
Also Read: Weather watch live: Foggy weather disrupts transport
From the entertainment world, Salman Khan’s blockbuster Sultan captured the peak position among ‘Top Trending Movies’, followed by Rajinikanth’s Kabali.
Shahid-Alia starrer Udta Punjab, Akshay Kumar’s Airlift and Ranbir-Anushka starrer Ae Dil Hai Mushkil also made it to the Top 5 in the list.
Bollywood duo of Sushant Singh Rajput and Disha Patani who starred in M S Dhoni: The Untold Story emerged on the top trending charts of male and female. Patani was also the fourth most searched personality.
Other important news moments that captured India’s attention this year, include Trump’s historic win, Brexit, the 7th Pay commission, Demonetisation, and the strategic surgical strikes on terror groups in Uri.