India lifted the World Cup after 28 years; Britain welcomed its new would-be King andQueen in Prince William and Kate Middleton, Former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan gave birth to a future beauty queen amid much media frenzy, and Hindi cinema took a progressive turn in representing the rebellion of a woman who had so long been hiding under the patriarchal veil with 'The Dirty Picture' starring Vidya Balan.
2011 amazed and entertained us in many ways with it being a witness to events and episodes worth going down in history.
We take a sneak peek into those personalities who filled the year that was with drama, glamour and excitement.
1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni: He is the cool-headed captain who brought the coveted cup home with finesse and style. It was under Dhoni's captaincy that India became the first team to defeat Australia in a test series after a gap of 20 odd years. With him as the leader of the pack, India's position in the ICC rankings chart improved speedily. The Time magazine added him as one of the top 100 most influential people of 2011. He is currently pursuing his dream of setting up asports academy in his home state Jharkhand, for which he is closely over-viewing the sports infrastructure possibilities in the region. He has apparently been roped in for David Dhawan's next "Hook ya Crook" starring John Abraham, who happens to be his close pal.
2. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: An atmosphere of frenzy enveloped the country once the news of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's delivery broke out. People from all walks of life welcomed Baby Bachchan with innumerable greetings, tweets and FB posts. Grand dad tweeted 'I am Dada to the cutest baby girl' to express his excitement. Former Miss World Aishwarya's entry into motherhood did not make any difference to the Filmfare magazine's college poll that hailed Aishwarya as the 'Most Beautiful' woman of 2011. Grapevine has it that Aish's comeback film will be with Sanjay Leela Bhansali in what is being touted as one of his ambitious historical projects 'Bajirao Mastani'.
3. Kate Middleton: The new Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton's wedding to the next in line king, presently the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William was enough for the media to go gaga over her. Born into a humble family, Kate's wedding turned the Cinderella-fairytale into a lived reality. It was not extravagance but her simplicity that exuded royalty and touched the hearts of millions. Named Queen of High Street Fashion, Kate Middleton set a new trend with her wedding gown designed by Sarah Burton, the replica of which too gained popularity in the fashion scene. The secret behind her beautiful smile, deliberate unalignment of her dentures, and her going anorexic made Kate the year's one of the most discussed people.
4. Pippa Middleton: Her social life came under spotlight after 29 April 2011 when her sister Kate Middleton exchanged vows with Prince William at Westminster Abbey, London. Looking serene as the maid of honour, she definitely made heads turn with her white figure-hugging gown stitched in ivory crape fabric, styled with a cowl at the neckline. Speculations about the mystery guy spotted with her at one of the ATP Tennis matches in London, her on-off relationship with former English cricketer Alex Loudon and of course her sensational 'shapely bottom' made her one of the hot topics of 2011.
5. Vidya Balan: After leaving her audience teary-eyed with her compassionate role as a mother to a genetically disordered child in Paa, Vidya's versatility as an actor took a couple of astounding leaps with her latest release 'The Dirty Picture' in 2011. Her transition from being a demure and submissive woman in Parineeta to representing a woman of rebellion and immense sensual appeal, Vidya sailed smooth with 'unconventional' films of critical acclaim. Awarded Best Actress (critics) for Ishqiya in Filmfare 2011, Vidya made news with rumours of her engagement with CEO, UTV Motion Pictures, Siddhartha Roy Kapoor. Vidya was in for a shock earlier in the year when her pictures in a black bikini appeared on the cover of a men's magazine. Currently Vidya is working on Sujoy Ghosh's next 'Kahani' set to release in January 2012.
6. Justin Bieber: All of 17, this lad has a flurry of controversies credited to his name. A wave of shock hit Bieber's fans after the teen pop sensation found himself embroiled in an allegation of fathering a child with the 20-year-old Mariah Yeater who demanded the pop star to undergo a paternity test to establish the truth. His 3D part-biopic, part-concert film 'Never say Never' released in February 2011 became one of the biggest grossers of the year that superseded Miley Cyrus' music documentary 'Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds concert' in popularity. Ranked number 2 on the Forbes list of 'Best-paid celebrities under 30'; Justin Biebergrabbed eyeballs after his 'sexcapades' with his American singer-actress girlfriend Selena Gomezfloated online.
7. Mark Zuckerberg: Chief Executive and the President of the social networking site Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg needs no introduction. With more than 800 million users and counting, Zuckerberg's creation reached a revolutionary status. Social and resistance movements like the Occupy Wall Street in New York City and Anna Hazare led anti-graft campaign in India gained momentum with social networking sites like Facebook that played catalyst in mass mobilization. The Social Network, a movie that had Zuckerberg and his life as inspiration went on to win the Golden Globes Award for Best Picture 2011. Recently, Zuckerberg became a victim of security lapses in Facebook that had some of his personal photos leaked on the website. This computer genius from Harvard University has an estimated wealth of $17.5 billion as of 2011.
8. Prince William: The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton was one of the most awaited and talked about events of 2011. Prince William was named the world's most influential man where he superseded US President Barack Obama and late Apple co-founderSteve Jobs. During his Canada tour, William indulged in an adventurous sport and participated in the Prince Edward Island dragon boat race that saw him racing past wife Kate and emerging victorious. On the administration front, his fearless efforts in rescuing shipwrecked sailors from the Irish Sea in collaboration with the Royal Air Force team earned him laurels. The Royal couple raised more than 1 million pounds for the victims of East Africa famine.
9. Robert Pattinson: He surely wooed ladies with his charm as the sexy vampire, Edward Cullen in the Twilight series. His chemistry with co-star Kirsten Stewart both on and off screen received audience's adoration. Next seen in Water for Elephants, a film adaptation of the Sara Gruen novel by the same name, with Christoph Waltz and Reese Witherspoon, Robert emerged as an actor of immense potential and versatility. In addition to his acting skills, Pattinson's quality as a singer got recognised in 2010 where he won the 'Hollywood's Most Influential Top Unexpected Musicians' award. Admirers wait with bated breath to catch this heartthrob hit the bigr screen next in a film adaptation of the 1885 novel Bel Ami, where he plays Georges Duroy.
10. Angelina Jolie: She was the face of some Hollywood blockbusters in the past with films such as Gia, Girl Interrupted, Original Sin, Mr & Mrs Smith, A Mighty Heart and Wanted. Angelina is now ready to enthrall her audience with her directorial debut in 'The Land of Blood and Honey' set to hit theatres in 2012. The film is set in the era of Bosnian War of the 1990s where brutality, ugliness and hate governed the lives of the people. The film courted controversy when a Croatian journalist claimed that the plot was taken from his story written in 2007 and filed a copyright infringement suit against her. Jolie will also be collaborating with director Luc Besson for an action sci-fi movie later in the year.
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