That Indians are awe-struck by glamour and are infatuated with Bollywood and Godmen, has been proved by Google’s year-end Zeitgeist list for 2012 for searches made by Indians.
A bank job is still a very lucrative career option for millions of Indians and this has made ‘IBPS’, an abbreviation for Institute of Banking Personnel Selection, the top search trend in India in 2012. ‘GATE Exams’, the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering conducted by the IITs was second on the list.
Sunny Leone is No 3 on the list of the top trending searches and also No 1 in trending people. Indian-origin and Canadian adult film star Sunny Leone made her Bollywood debut in Jism 2 directed by Pooja Bhatt. The former Bigg Boss contestant hired three tutors to coach her in Hindi and dance skills in order to further her chances in the industry.
The late Bollywood superstar Rajesh Khanna was the second most searched for person in India this year. Bollywood’s first superstar Rajesh Khanna died in Mumbai on July 19 at the age of 69 marking the end of an era. On June 23, Mr Khanna was taken to Lilavati Hospital to be treated for exhaustion, and spent some days having tests. He was discharged just a day before he died.
Poonam Pandey maintained her online fame from the previous years into 2012. Kingfisher Calendar model Poonam Pandey made the headlines after she stripped in celebration of Kolkata Knight Riders beating the Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings in IPL finale on May 27. She had earlier promised to bare it all in the stadium if India won the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
The other Bollywood personalities that were searched the most are:
- Alia Bhatt – 19-year-old Alia Bhatt made her film debut with Karan Johar’s Student of the Year making her the latest teenage sensation in Bollywood. She is the daughter of director Mahesh Bhatt’s and Soni Razdan.
- Sherlyn Chopra – the first Indian woman to pose nude for international magazine Playboy, has bagged a role in Kamasutra 3D, to be directed by Rupesh Paul.
- Yash Chopra :- Bollywood director Yash Chopra died of multiple organ failure in Mumbai on October 21 at the age of 80, only weeks before the release of his last film Jab Tak Hai Jaan. He had announced his retirement from directing on his 80th birthday.
- Saif Ali Khan – Actor Saif Ali Khan, son of famed actress Sharmila Tagore and Late Nawab Pataudi, married Kareena Kapoor on October 16 after five year courtship.
- Diana Penty – made her Bollywood debut in Cocktail starring Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone. She reportedly turned down an offer for a stage act worth Rs 40 lakh, the highest offered to a debutant.
- Nirmal Baba – Self-proclaimed godman Nirmaljeet Singh Narula alias Nirmal Baba remained in the news for all the wrong reasons through the year. He is famous for giving clumsy solutions for redressing the problems of his blind followers. He has been accused of cheating, committing criminal breach of trust and hurting religious sentiments of the people.
