Not Sushant! Joe Biden & Arnab Goswami were the most searched personalities on Google in 2020

The year 2020, will always be known for the coronavirus pandemic, which has forever changed our lives. Apart from the pandemic, the year was also marked by several other global and national events, catapulting many celebrities and personalities into the limelight. As the year comes to an end, Google released its annual ‘Year in Search’ list which shows the top most searched Personalities on Google in India in 2020.

Of course, Joe Biden had to top the list, given that he defeated Donald Trump and is set to become the most powerful man in the world. Until November, not many had a clue about him but when the 78-year-old managed to defeat Trump, everyone took notice and his name was on everyone’s lips and in every conversation.

Surprisingly, only second to Joe Biden was Republic Media Network’s Editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami. He made headlines all through the year for his non-stop coverage of Sushant Singh Rajput death case and his face-off with Maharashtra government. However, as per Google trends, the surge in interest took place after Goswami was arrested from his home early morning on November 4, for a 2018 abetment to suicide case.

Kanika made headlines and dominated social media for being the first Indian celebrity to contract coronavirus after attending a party with top politicians in Lucknow. The ‘Baby Doll’ singer earned people’s wrath for not adhering to quarantine rules and hosting a grand party for her friends after her return from London. An FIR was also registered against Kanika for negligence and committing acts likely to spread the fatal disease.

Is North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-Un alive or dead, was the question on everyone’s mind this year. With no authentic information about his health, Indians remained intrigued about him, especially after rumours of him being in a coma, surfaced on social media.

Megastar Big B shocked his fans in July when he announced that he is Covid-19 positive. Worrying about his health, millions of his fans religiously followed his health updates and prayed for his speedy recovery. His son Abhishek, daughter-in-law Aishwarya and granddaughter Aaradhya too contracted the virus.

The only sportsperson in the top 10 list is Afghan cricketing sensation Rashid Khan, beating the likes of Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. This surge in popularity was witnessed after Rashid’s performance at the Dream11 IPL 2020 where he took 20 wickets from 16 matches for the Sunrisers Hyderabad side and recorded his IPL career-best figures of 3/7.

Post Sushant’s death, Rhea dominated national headlines and was the most talked about after the late actor’s family filed an abetment to suicide case against her. The actress, who was in a live-in relationship with the late actor, was vilified as a ‘gold-digger’ and ‘drug peddler’, and further trolled after her name came in the Bollywood drug controversy.

Chakraborty was later arrested for allegedly supplying marijuana to Sushant and spent a month in Mumbai’s Byculla jail before she was released on bail.

In August 2020, Kamala Harris made history as the first Black woman, when she accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president of United States. More so, her Indian roots, and nostalgic stories of Indian heritage courtesy her Tamilian mother, intrigued citizens further.

Finally in November, Harris become the vice-president-elect of the US, the first time in history that a woman, and a woman of color, has been elected to such a position in the White House. On Thursday, Harris was also chosen as Time magazine’s 2020 ‘Person of the Year along with Biden.

After actor Sushant Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, his ex-girlfriend Ankita Lokhande grabbed the spotlight when she vociferously demanded justice for him.

Kangana Ranaut was also one of the first few actors who aggressively demanded justice for Sushant, blaming Bollywood ‘insiders’ for driving the ‘outsider Sushant’ to his death. From accusing her colleagues in Bollywood of nepotism and dealing in drugs, she went on to call the Hindi film industry ‘gutter’. More row was in store as her Mumbai office was demolished by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Post her debut on Twitter, her uncalled for remarks on almost every issue in India, including CAA, farmers protest, mental health, made her quite a controversial figure. Not to forget: Her infamous Twitter spats.