Recap of 2011

AAnna HAZARE He brought an entire nation together with his unassuming and simple demeanor. But he proved that he is indeed a force to be reckoned with. A modern day Mahatma in the making, we think.
BBETI B The nation waited with bated breath for her arrival making her the only baby to have garnered so much interest, even before she was born. Still unnamed, it looks like the Beti B tag is going to stick around for a long time to come.
CCRICKET For a nation where cricket is like a second religion, it was more than a match-winning six by Dhoni at Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on that epic night of April 2. It was a question of ending a wait that was 28-years long. A dream win at the World Cup, by a dream team — it is truly the stuff legends are made of. Captain Cool continued his winning streak as he serenaded the home team namma Chennai Super Kings to a whistle worthy victory in the IPL.
DDRAVID 13,000 runs in test cricket is no mean feat. And Rahul ‘The Wall’ Dravid is one of the two cricketers to get there. The year has been but a dream run for Dravid, as he demonstrated with the panache of a professional what the game was truly about. And oh, let’s not forget the spell-binding Bradman Oration speech he delivered in Australia.
EEGYPT 2011 brought about a great change in the Middle East. Known as the 2011 Egyptian revolution, the scene-changing event took place in January when hordes of people thronged Tahrir Square, shouting slogans to overthrow the regime of Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak. The protests soon spread to other Arab countries, bringing about a major change on the political front. Time magazine even voted ‘The Protestor’ as the Person of the Year for 2011.
FFORMULA 1 The machines roared up in the capital this year, and India finally hosted the much anticipated Formula One Grand Prix. After all that brouhaha over whether they were going to make it or not, we finally saw the racing giants make their debut at the Buddh International Circuit in Gurgaon. Nearly, 100,000 fans packed the stands at this $400 million circuit. The adrenaline levels were on an all time high and F1 crazy fans just couldn’t contain their excitement. Couple this with the Metallica and we can safely say that 2011 was a year that the boys weren’t going to forget.
GGAY RIGHTS Amidst repeated protests and a hilarious face palm moment from Ghulam Nabi Azad about homosexuality, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (for gay sex among consenting adults) was legalized. Marina Beach came alive on June 27, 2011 when thousands thronged the sands for the third edition the LGBT Chennai Rainbow Pride March. It was a turning point for India, as parents and families took to the streets shouting out their support for the cause.
HHINA RABBANI Most politicians have only made heads turn for their scandals and shocking political decisions. But, Hina Rabbani Khar did quite the opposite this year when she came to india. Sporting a stylish bag, shades and pearls, Hina — Pakistan’s youngest and first woman foreign minister was the talk of the town for her impeccable style sense. She is, as many label her —‘Pakistani fashionista.’
IIDIOTS 3 idiots hit the screens in 2010, but there’s no denying that the film was such a huge hit — so much so that it is now being remade in Kollywood as Nanban, with none other than Vijay playing the lead, along with Srikanth and Jiiva — making it one of the most anticipated films in the year to come.
JJAYALALITHAA After virtually decimating the opposition in the state elections, Jayalalithaa returned to the helm of power this year, promising us a bigger and better Chennai. Women power to the fore? We surely think so!
K KALASALA There’s no denying that the song had a legacy to live up to. Malaika Arora shook a leg in the immensely popular Munni… from Dabangg and down south; Mallika Sherawat could barely match up in Kalasala… from Osthe. While the song in itself was a chart topper, it just didn’t live up to all the expectations that were built around it.
L LADY GAGA She came, she sang and she conquered. Mother Monster was in India to perform at Indian grand prix and she did in style. Sporting the tricolour on her hair, she had all of her little monsters going crazy over her arrival, in true Gaga style.
M MULLAPERIYAR Built 116 years ago by the British, safety concerns posed by the strength and structure of the Mullaperiyar dam to the safety of the people of Kerala have been the focus of disputes from 2009 onwards. And in 2011, the dispute took to epic proportions with both sides growing increasingly hostile.
N NATIONAL AWARDS This year was virtually a sweep by stars from the south at the prestigious National Awards. Aadukalam was clearly the standout of the lot as it fetched laurels for Dhanush, Vetri Maaran, Kishore, Dinesh. Also bagging the coveted award were Sabu Cyril, Vairamuthu, Thambi Ramaiah and Salim Kumar.
O OSAMA He made headlines on September 11, 2001 and became the most sought-after terrorist after the terror attacks on the twin towers. After a 10-year-long hide and seek game, Osama Bin Laden, America’s most wanted criminal, was shot dead in a targeted operation in Abbottabad.
P PIPPA Even as fashionistas ‘ooh’ed and ‘aah’ed at the Kate Middleton’s wedding dress, her sister Pippa managed to get her 15 minutes of fame too as she strutted her stuff in a simple white bridesmaid gown. Her sexy ‘ass’ets were trending even before the married couple could say ‘honeymoon’.
QQUINTESSENTIALLY SOUTH This year saw a host of films from the south being remade in Bollywood. Suriya’s Singam was remade with the same name, starring Ajay Devgn. Salman’s Ready and Bodyguard were also a remake of south Indian films.
R RAJINIKANTH Post the phenomenal success of Endhiran, Superstar fell ill. From what seemed like a harmless stomach infection, his health deteriorated, much to the worry of his fans. After treatment in Singapore, he was back. With two big flicks — Rana and Kochadaiyan — in his kitty, his fans are waiting with bated breath to see the Superstar back in action.
S STEVE JOBS Known to be a man who literally touched people’s lives with his passion and his creativity, Jobs sadly succumbed to pancreatic cancer a couple of months ago, leaving a shocked world mourning his death. Needless to say, there can seldom be a creator who has changed the way people live like Jobs did.
T TOM CRUISE Tom Cruise at the Taj Mahal — need we say more? The suave actor was in the country to promote Mission: Impossible 4 — Ghost Protocol and worked his charm on his fans with a flash of that gorgeous smile. With Anil Kapoor being the gracious host, we’re sure we’ve left the Hollywood hottie with more than one reason to make a return trip.
U UNITED THEY STAR The year gone by perhaps saw the most number of multi-starrers, in Kollywood, at least. A host of films like Mankatha, Avan Ivan, Vaanam, Veppam, Ko, Engaeyum Eppothum, Muaran, Poraali and Payanam among others released this year and going by the response of the audiences, it looks like the trend has been warmly welcomed.
V VIRAL 2011 gave new meaning to ‘spreading like wild fire’. From Chennai to Chicago, Why This Kolaveri Di... hit a whopping total of 29,523,616 hits, as the world grooved to the addictive beats of Anirudh and the captivating voice of Dhanush. The CST flash mob, stirred up a frenzy as the video went viral. Chennai, Cochin, Delhi and Kolkata followed suit and flash mobs became instantly popular.
W WEDDINGS Two words: Royal wedding. When Kate Middleton married her Prince Charming, William, the whole world watched — thanks to a live broadcast. However, it wasn’t just the Royal wedding that grabbed eyeballs. Down south, a bevy of stars tied the knot this year. Karthi, Prithviraj, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Selvaraghavan, Mamta and Allu Arjun are some of the celebrities to enter marital bliss.
X X RATED Be it Sunny Leone, the pornstar being wooed by Mahesh Bhatt, or Veena Malik, the sultry Pakistani model who went underground in Mumbai after being in the eye of the storm for showing off an (allegedly-doctored) ISI tattoo on her nude bod, or the cricket fan, Poonam Pandey with her bare-all promises — it was definitely the year of the bold and the beautiful.
Y YO BOYS! When Dhanush happily sang song in the cult hit Why This Kolaveri Di… with “Yo Boys”, (pronounced in local slang as yo baaaays), little did he realize what a phenomenon the song or even just the word would become! Hugely popular among the younger ‘it’ crowd, ‘yo boys’ was surely one of the buzz words the year.
Z ZZZZZ... FILMS THAT PUT US TO SLEEP! Snoozefest 2011! Sounds like a New Year party? Well yeah, its not. The year saw several films that favoured insomniacs around the city, making 2011 an epic snooze fest. Rajapattai, 180, Nadunisi Naaygal, Rowthiram and Vedi made the list for putting the most number of people to sleep. Compiled by Nandita Ravi and Rehna Abdul Kareen