December 13, 2023
KUALA LUMPUR – Despite not appearing in any major television shows or films this year, actress Ira Kazar has emerged as the most searched person in 2023 on Google Malaysia.
The company released its Year In Search 2023 saying that Malaysians “love being in the know about the hottest news” when it comes to celebrities. This year, Ira was in the spotlight after she was involved in a marital conflict with actress Puteri Sarah and film director Syamsul Yusof.
Searches for Ira peaked in January when Syamsul announced that he took the actress as his second wife. His first wife Puteri Sarah then filed for divorce.
The Syamsul-Puteri Sarah pair eventually finalised their divorce in June this year.
Both Puteri Sarah and Syamsul also made the top 10 in the most searched person list, coming in at No. 5 and No. 6 respectively. Others in the list include comedian Jocelyn Chia (No. 2) followed by Michelle Yeoh (No. 3) who won the Oscar for Best Actress in March and celebrity couple Angeline Tan (No. 4) and Sabri Yunus (No. 9), both tied the knot in October.
“As Malaysians grappled with changes in the world, from the weather to global events, we looked for answers to make sense of it all. We showed our care for those affected by hard-hitting issues, kept tabs on the election results and searched for financial aid more than anything else,” the company said in a press statement.
In terms of top 10 searches under News, top spot goes to Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah, followed by the war in Israel and Gaza, and the Malaysian state elections in August. eBelia Rahmah is also in the list at No. 6.