MUMBAI: 2014 is winding up and YouTube has already given us its top trending videos of the year in India. Videos that people chose to watch repeatedly, shared and made them the most popular ones of the lot.
This year seemed to be the year of Bollywood celebrities, embracing YouTube as a means to connect with fans, do something madcap and establish their positions as youth icons. Whether it was the ice bucket challenges or film promotional strategies, celebrities have greatly benefited from YouTube in 2014!
Taking the top spot with over 8.8 million views is the episode of Comedy Nights with Kapil which featured sultry adult movie star Sunny Leone and producer Ekta Kapoor promoting Ragini MMS 2. Not surprisingly, Leone’s music video “Baby Doll” is also graded by YouTube as the top trending Indian music video of 2014 with nearly 40 million views.
Alia Bhatt made a stellar debut on YouTube this year when she paired up with All India Bakchod (AIB) and made the hysterical “Genius of the Year” mockumentary which garnered over 6.8 million views. That is not all - Bhatt’s unplugged version of “Samjhawan” highlighted her singing capabilities and increased curiosity for the film, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. The video was watched by more than 16 million people.
Closely following Bhatt and Leone’s popularity meter on YouTube is Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh. As part of the promotion for his upcoming movie 'Bang Bang', actor Hrithik Roshan dared Singh to a challenge on the streets of Mumbai. In his usual feisty spirit, Singh danced to the popular “Main Aisa Kyon Hoon” in the Krissh get up. His fanatical “Bang Bang Dare” video acquired over 3 million views.
2014 also saw innovative and effective content that sought to entertain the audience while at the same time, sending out valuable messages to the viewers. For instance, Nestlé India’s “Good food, Good Life” advertisement, which ranks in the top 10 trending videos of India with over 6 million views, is truly a moving commercial that teaches us the joy of sharing. The public service announcement video entitled “SeatBelt Crew” received close to 4.7 million views. The unique concept featured a group of transgenders delivering a lesson in safe driving that motorists will carry for the rest of their lives.
Independent video creators like The Viral Fever and AIB, also took YouTube by storm this year with their spoof parodies and original content. Their popular videos “Bollywood Aam Aadmi Party – Arnab’s Qtiyapa” and “Nayak2: The Common Man Rises” attracted over 4 million and 3 million views respectively.
Other trending YouTube videos In India include Aap Ki Adalat’s episode feature Narendra Modi with over 4 million views, “Lion shows tourists why you must stay inside your car”, “Top 50 English Nursery Rhymes” and “Wheels on the Bus”. Amongst the music videos, “Chaar Botal Vodka” featuring Yo Yo Honey Singh takes the second most popular spot with over 28 million views. This is followed by “Tu Meri” from the movie Bang Bang, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s “Zaroori Tha”, “Yaar Naa Miley” from Kick, “Tune Maari Entriyaan” from Gunday and “Jumme Ki Raat” from Kick.
