Yahoo 2021 Year In Review: Modi Crowned Most Searched Personality

Yahoo has revealed the 2021 Year in Review (YIR*) for India, a collection of the year’s top personalities, newsmakers, and events, based on users’ daily search habits.  

Narendra Modi is India’s ‘Most Searched Personality’  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reclaimed the title of India's Most Searched Personality, a position he has held consistently since 2017 (with a brief slip last year, when late actor Sushant Singh Rajput took the top spot.) Cricketer Virat Kohli, who had a chequered year with highs and lows came in at No. 2, while West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rounded off the top 3 on the back of a decisive win in the state assembly election.  

Fans grieved the sudden loss of popular TV actor Sidharth Shukla, placing him at No. 4. This year's list had a notable new entrant, actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, who came in at No. 7 on the Most Searched Personality list, with massive interest online following his arrest by the Narcotics Control Bureau in October.  

Top Newsmakers of 2021: Farmers’ protest at No. 1

The ‘Indian Farmers’ Protest’ against three contentious farm laws, spanning a year, was the Top Newsmaker of 2021. Aryan Khan came in at No. 2, with news stories breaking by the minute through a tense October for the star son. Businessman Raj Kundra, arrested in an adult film case, was also one of the most searched newsmakers of 2021, at No. 3. Other top searches included India's 'Flying Sikh' Milkha Singh who died from COVID (No. 9), ‘Black Fungus’ (No. 5) and the Afghanistan crisis (No.10).

Most Searched Male Celebrities: Sidharth Shukla at No. 1

Two young, much-loved actors who passed away in 2021 -- Sidharth Shukla and Kannada movie star Puneeth Rajkumar -- had their fans flocking online for answers. Sidharth Shukla was India’s most searched male celebrity in 2021, while Puneeth Rajkumar came in at No. 4 on the Most searched list of male celebrities. Stars Salman Khan and Allu Arjun took the No. 2 and 3 spots respectively. At No. 5 was thespian Dilip Kumar who passed away at age 98, with fans paying a final tribute to him online.   

Most Searched Female Celebrities: Kareena Kapoor Khan tops list

Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan, who welcomed her second son and turned author with The Pregnancy Bible, was India’s top searched female celebrity of 2021. Actor Katrina Kaif came in at No. 2, on the back of Sooryavanshi’s success and personal news that fueled fan interest online. Actors Priyanka Chopra Jonas (No. 3), Alia Bhatt (No. 4) and Deepika Padukone (No.5) were among India’s most searched female celebrities. This year’s list had a new entrant at No. 10 in Samantha Ruth Prabhu, in the news for both professional and personal reasons. The actor who won critical acclaim for her role in The Family Man 2, recently announced her separation from actor Naga Chaitanya.  

Most Searched Politicians of 2020: Modi remains undisputed at No. 1

PM Modi topped the list of Most Searched Politicians of 2021, with Mamata Banerjee improving her position from last year and coming in at No. 2. Rahul Gandhi slid to No. 3, with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, hot on the election trail in Punjab, and BJP’s Amit Shah rounding off the top 5.  

Most Searched Business Person: Elon Musk rules list

Elon Musk, the headline-grabbing CEO of Tesla Motors, pipped Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani to the top spot as the Most Searched Business Person. Business magnate Bill Gates, coming out of a controversial divorce, Ratan Tata on the back of Air India’s sale and big bull Rakesh Jhunjhunwala rounded off the top 5.  

Most searched Indian sports personalities: Virat Kohli at No. 1  

A mix of Cricket and Olympic stars make up this year’s list. Virat Kohli, who fought off his share of controversy came in at No. 1, with cricketer MS Dhoni at No.2. Storming in at No. 3 was India’s first track and field Olympic Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra. Olympic Medallist and Badminton ace PV Sindhu (No. 7) found a place among cricketers Sachin Tendulkar (No.4), Rohit Sharma (No. 5), Rishabh Pant (No. 8) and KL Rahul (No. 10). Olympic Medallist Sushil Kumar came in at (No. 9) following news of his arrest in a murder case.

About the *Yahoo India 2021 Year in Review Methodology:

To develop the Yahoo Year in Review, our team analyzes users’ anonymized interest patterns based on what they searched for on Yahoo. It takes into account a number of factors, including absolute volume and growth from previous periods to see which themes and trends bubble to the surface.  

Disclaimer: Please note the results are not necessarily a representation of a popularity contest or voting.