2020 has been a stressful year, to say the least. Be it a global pandemic, riots, recession or several other not-so-nice things, this year hasn’t really been kind to most of us.
But, even during these dark times, there were people from various fields who emerged as a ray of sunshine and gave us hope that there’s a lot of positivity to look forward to. So here are some of those people who we thought made 2020 so much better.
1. Sonu Sood
He helped migrant workers, students reach home free of cost and provided food, daily to people living in slums, or those left stranded on roads during the lockdown. He also offered his hotel in Juhu as a quarantine facility for doctors and nurses.
2. Pankaj Tripathi
Be it Mirzapur, Extraction, Gunjan Saxena or Ludo, Tripathi graced us with his various brilliant diverse roles this year.
3. Mahua Moitra
This MP from the opposition party has been making waves with her brave and fierce speeches and being the ‘voice of the dissent’ at the parliament.
4. Pratik Gandhi
This Gujarati actor and theatre artist became a household name after he brilliantly portrayed the role of Harshad Mehta in the popular series Scam 1992 : The Harshad Mehta Story.
5. Kamala Harris
The new Vice President of the U.S shut down Mike Pence interrupting her with her iconic statement, “Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking!” during the 2020 election debate. This truly resonated with all the women across the globe.
6. Anya Taylor Joy
Her portrayal as the pill-popping chess genius Beth Harmon in Netflix’s drama The Queen’s Gambit has made everyone who watched the show truly a fan of hers.
7. Faye D’ Souza
Throughout the year, this journalist has been making sure to provide some true facts and unfiltered debates about matters that really matter.
8. Azim Premji
The 75-year-old business tycoon has donated Rs. 22 crores a day or Rs 7,904 crore without really making a big deal about it. He emerged as the most generous Indian this year.
9. Menaka Guruswamy and Arundhati Katju
This lawyer couple who were instrumental in decriminalizing same-sex relationships in 2018 are now fighting towards legalizing same sex marriage.
10. Harry Styles
Besides being a super talented artist, the Watermelon Sugar singer created Vogue history by rocking a skirt as the first solo man to appear on the cover in the magazine’s 127-year run. He also squashed the definition of a ‘manly man’ and inspired men across the globe to be comfortable wearing whatever they like.
11. Jacinda Ardern
This revolutionary PM of New Zealand has broken several stereotypes and how. Not only did she become the youngest woman in the office, but she also became the first world leader to give birth as a PM while combatting a global pandemic.
12. Chris Evans
Whether it’s his pictures with his doggo or him playing the piano, Evans and his existence has truly made us not hate 2020 too much.
13. Ridhima Pandey
This 13-year-old Uttarakhand-based climate activist has constantly been doing her part to create awareness about environmental crisis. She recently got featured in the BBC’s list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2020.
14. Lucky Ali
He has graced us, music lovers, with some wholesome tracks over the years. But his latest unfiltered music video of O Sanam made us fall in love with him all over again.
15. Anushka Sharma
From Pataal Lok to Bulbbul, Anushka Sharma created quite a stir this year not only as an actor but by backing some very experimental content as a producer.
16. Yashraj Mukhate
This producer-composer took social media by storm after he composed the famous Rasode Mein Kon Tha track. He hasn’t stopped ever since.
17. Sushmita Sen
The actor made a very impactful comeback through her debut OTT series Aarya where she portrays a stay-at home mother and a circumstantial drug lord.
18. Prateek Kuhad
The singer-songwriter gifted us with two different music videos this year. Well, that truly makes up for us not seeing him live.
19. Cardi B and Meghan Thee Stallion
Both these artists released a song called WAP this year which basically talked about two women owning their sexuality and honestly, this empowered a lot of women across the world.
20. Vikas Khanna
Our favourite Michelin chef donated 4 million meals to people struggling with hunger in India during the pandemic. He also launched the largest food drive in the world for marginalised communities.
21. Rasika Dugal
From Mirzapur to Out Of Love, we are completely in awe of Rasika and her brilliant acting skills.
22. Anita Hassanandani
The actor busted stereotypes about the ‘ticking biological clock’ by openly talking about getting pregnant at the age of 39.
23. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
This legendary cricketer announced his retirement this year. However, every Indian took a sigh of relief after we saw him play again in this year’s IPL.
24. Rajiv Bajaj
The managing director of Bajaj Auto pulled the brand out of advertising for Republic TV which was pretty much the need of the hour and quite a gutsy move.
25. Chaitanya Tamhane
This Indian filmmaker’s Marathi-language movie The Disciple won the Best Screenplay award at the prestigious Venice Film Festival. His film was the first Indian movie to win the award after 16 years.
26. Vir Das
The stand-up comedian remained true to his form and released various comedic acts throughout the lockdown period. He even donated the money he earned to the people who were hit severly by the pandemic.
27. Isha Talwar
Her fierce and sassy portrayal of Madhuri Yadav in Mirzapur was literally one of the best parts of the show.
28. Vikrant Massey
Be it in Dolly Kitty Aur Chamakte Sitaare or Ginny Weds Sunny, this year was truly about Massey and his brilliant acting skills.
29. Diljit Dosanjh
From making super hep songs to bantering with Alexa and shutting down people on Twitter, he has been a real king this year.
We’re thankful for these people.