Why Pawan Kalyan was most-googled Indian celebrity worldwide this year
“Ye Pawan nahi, aandhi hai (he is not a breeze, he is a storm),” Modi famously said in a video that went viral after Pawan's big electoral victory
Telugu actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan was the most searched Indian celebrity on Google followed by actresses Hina Khan and Nimrat Kaur for the year 2024.
Google’s 2024 global search trends showed that Kalyan was the second-most celebrity searched on the platform worldwide while Khan and Kaur secured the fifth and the eighth ranks respectively. The first place was grabbed by comedian and podcaster Katt Williams.
New milestone in illustrious career
Marking a major milestone in Kalyan’s political career, 2024 saw the Jana Sena leader being sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh following the NDA’s stupendous victory in the Assembly polls.
Kalyan’s party, which struck an alliance with N Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and the BJP for the polls, achieved a hundred percent strike rate in the polls, winning all the 21 Assembly seats it contested.
Also read: Andhra: What's behind Pawan Kalyan's outburst against his own govt
With the actor’s star power giving the much-needed impetus to his campaign rallies, his influence among the masses made him the most talked-about person among the Telugu population worldwide.
Photos and videos of Pawan and his brother and actor Chiranjeevi being hugged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the oath-taking ceremony also increased traction for content related to him.
“Ye Pawan nahi aandhi hai (he is not a breeze, he is a storm),” Modi had famously said in his praise for Pawan in a video that went viral.
Kalyan continued to stay in the limelight for his statements supporting Sanatana Dharma, especially for the 11-day ‘penance’ he undertook following the expose about adulteration in Tirupati laddus.
Hina’s Khan’s battle with cancer
Khan, on the other hand, took the world by the storm with the inspiring story of her battle with stage three breast cancer.
An Instagram post in June, Khan announced that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
“Hello everyone. To address the recent rumour, I want to share some important news with all the Hinaholics and everyone who lives and cares for me. I have been diagnosed with stage three breast cancer,” her post said.
“Despite this challenging diagnosis, I want to reassure everyone that I am doing well. I am strong, determined, and fully committed to overcoming this disease. My treatment has already begun, and I am ready to do everything necessary to emerge from this even stronger,” she said.
The post was accompanied by a video showing her chopping off her hair ahead of chemotherapy.
Khan ever since has been sharing with fans her journey of treatment and recovery.
Victim of rumour mill
Lunchbox-fame Kaur, however, was in the news for the wrong reasons – over rumours that she was in a relationship with actor Abhishek Bachchan.
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A slew of vitriol was directed at her on social media with many accusing her of being a home-breaker and having no comparison to Abhishek’s wife, Aishwarya Rai. Kaur, however, has not addressed the rumours yet.
Top Googled celebrities
Here is a full list of global celebrities who were Googled the most this year:
Katt Williams
Pawan Kalyan
Adam Brody
Ella Purnell
Hina Khan
Kieran Culkin
Terrence Howard
Nimrat Kaur
Sutton Foster
Briggitte Bozzo
Most-searched movies
This apart, films like Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, Saltburn, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Dune: Part Two were the most searched movies on Google this year.
Also read: How Amar Kaushik’s Stree 2 breaks the old mould for male hero in Hindi cinema
The most-searched films in India were Stree 2, Kalki 2898 AD and Laapataa Ladies while the most-searched web series was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi.