With the pressure of three-day box office performance worrying even the biggest of the stars, the producers and actors are looking beyond their core audience. 2018 was a remarkable year in this regard as Akshay Kumar, the quintessential Bollywood hero, traded his charm to play a villain in a Rajinikanth film, which went beyond the southern audiences to woo the Hindi belt with its grand scale and visual effects.

'Karwaan', '2.0', 'KGF': Hunt for newer markets saw interesting crossovers in Indian cinema in 2018

Google's top India trends throw up some interesting information about the way the country consumes internet and what concerns Indian netizens the most. A look at Google's 'Year in Search' for India shows that Indians grappled with how to send stickers to other contacts on WhatsApp, making it the top 'How to' query on Google search in India.

This was the most Googled 'how to' query of 2018 in India

When American actress Alysa Milano urged women across the world to speak up against sexual violence in 2017, the #MeToo hashtag became viral almost instantly. Milano tweeted, "If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet," and scores of women across the world shared personal experiences on social media leading to the beginning of global #MeToo movement.

2018: The year when #MeToo came to India and Bollywood found its voice

Raazi, Andhadhun, Mulk: The 9 best Hindi films of 2018

With record-breaking performances across the world, the year 2018 was nothing short of spectacular when it comes to international sporting events. Indian sportspersons, in particular, were second to none in many categories with many breaking existing world records and scripting history.

After historic performance in 2018, Mary Kom eyes Olympic gold medal

Disasters that devastated US in 2018

No one would have predicted Vicky Kaushal's stardom back in 2015 when he had made his debut in Neeraj Ghaywan's critically acclaimed film 'Masaan'. A poignant film on love and loss, the film was a favourite in almost every international film festival but was not really a commercial success back home.

'Raazi' to 'Manmarziyaan': How Vicky Kaushal became the country's favourite actor in 2018

Desperately-needed aid flowed into a stretch of Indonesia's tsunami-struck coastline Tuesday, but humanitarian workers warned that clean water and medicine supplies were dwindling as thousands crammed makeshift evacuation centres.

Indonesia tsunami survivors cram shelters as death toll crosses 400

Former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif was on December 24 sentenced to seven years in prison and fined $25 million on corruption charges that he says were politically motivated.

The rise and fall of Pakistan's Nawaz Sharif

Neighbouring nation Pakistan witnessed high-voltage general elections earlier this year which resulted in cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's rise as the South Asian nation's 22nd Prime Minister.

Pak elections 2018: When Pakistan witnessed its second democratic transfer of power since 1947 

Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal was allegedly poisoned by a nerve agent in Britain. Sixty-six-year-old Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a public bench in the southern English city of Salisbury on March 4.

Poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter divided international community

Jamal Khashoggi paid the price for criticising the Saudi royal family. The Saudi Arabian dissident was living in a self-imposed exile in the United States after fleeing Saudi Arabia last year.

Jamal Khashoggi's killing: A murder that shook 2018

2018 was a memorable year. It was marked by highs and lows, smiles and tears, life and death. It was a year of extremes - from the provocative to the persuasive, from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Thailand cave rescue: The survival story of 2018

Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan became the prime minister of Pakistan after being on the periphery of political power circles for 20-odd years. The firebrand nationalist promised radical change, saying he would redistribute wealth, hold the country’s political elite accountable, make more people pay taxes, improve the lives of the poor, bring Pakistan out of its debt burden and improve ties with neighbours and strategically reposition his country.

Imran Khan, Pakistan army's new pawn

Yearender 2018: Shocking death of Hollywood stars this year

Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam winner returned to the court after a 14-month maternity leave, but at times it appeared like she'd never missed a day. That was Serena’s return to tennis in a nutshell, but her 2018 season was far more than that.

Serena Williams’ 2018: 3 major appearances, 2 Grand Slam finals and an infamous controversy

Kim Jong-Un made history in April this year by becoming the first North Korean leader to set foot in South Korea in six decades. He met South Korean president Moon Jae-in for the third inter-Korean summit at the Peace House, a three-storeyed building located just across the demilitarised zone (DMZ) on the South Korean side of Panmunjom truce village.

Historic inter-Korean summit: When the two Koreas met

We saw a lot of loss of life this year but one that will stay for generations to come is that of Marvel comic book legend, Stan Lee. Died at the age of 95, the creative genius left the world on November 12, 2018.

Stan Lee: The irreplaceable loss of Marvel comic book legend

Russian President Vladimir Putin remains a formidable force in world politics. He started as a low-level KGB spy and rose to the upper echelon of power winning the top office of his country a record four times.

Vladimir Putin: Four-time President and global influencer

In pics: Biggest one-day loss suffered by companies in 2018

Pakistan's cricket hero Imran Khan stunned the world when he took charge as the Prime Minister of a nation that has a perennial conflict on its borders and an economy that slowly inches toward a crisis.

Hits and misses: In review, over 100 days of Imran Khan as Pak PM 

Year in review: Biggest news events of 2018

A record audience of more than 3.5 billion people watched this year's World Cup in Russia, with the final between France and Croatia attracting 1.12 billion viewers, world soccer's governing body said on Friday.

Record audience watched 'best World Cup ever': FIFA

It was an end of an era in Germany after Angela Merkel, the country’s four-time Chancellor, announced in October that she will not stand again for the leadership of her party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), following a string of poll setbacks.

The life and times of German chancellor Angela Merkel

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