From Jacqueline Fernandez being named in a money laundering case to Ranveer Singh’s nude photo shoot, here are the biggest controversies from the film industry this year.
As the year 2022 comes to an end, we hope there are only happier days to see in the Indian entertainment industry next year. Bollywood films had a tough time this year with only a few managing to bring in the numbers at the box office. Several Hindi films also faced boycott trends over some issue or the other. Amid the rise and success of several South films, some even raised doubts if Bollywood was actually dead. Not just films, many Bollywood celebrities were also a part of various controversies. From Ranveer Singh’s nude photo shoot to actors Ajay Devgn and Kiccha Sudeep locking horns over the Hindi language and Jacqueline Fernandez being named in a money laundering case, there was much going in the film industry apart from films. Here are the top controversies of the year:
Ranveer Singh’s nude photo shoot
It was still summer in July and Ranveer Singh raised the temperatures even more by posing naked for an international magazine, Paper. The actor couldn’t have imagined that it won’t just attract eyeballs but police complaints as well. While many of his industry colleagues like actors Vidya Balan, Masaba Gupta, Nakuul Mehta and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap openly praised the nude photo shoot, a Mumbai-based NGO sought an FIR against him over ‘hurting sentiments of women’.
Lalit Sen declaring love for Sushmita Sen
Former IPL chairman Lalit suddenly caught the attention of the movie lovers in July as he declared love for Sushmita Sen along with a bunch of romantic pictures from their Maldives vacation. He called her his ‘better half’ as he wrote about ‘a new beginning and a new life’ after the death of his wife in 2018. He added, “Not married – just dating each other. That too it will happen one day.” The actor, however, did not speak up at all and a few weeks later, Lalit also changed his Instagram profile pic from the one with Sushmita to a solo one. It is to be noted, the two also ranked among the most googled people this year.
Jacqueline Fernandez named in ₹200 crore money laundering case
Jacqueline found herself in deep trouble as she was named as an accused in the ₹200 crore money laundering case involving conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar. She continues to appear for questioning in front of the Enforcement Directorate regularly and is not allowed to fly abroad. According to ED’s earlier chargesheet, she and actor-dancer Nora Fatehi received expensive gifts worth crores from Sukesh. Things became even murkier as Nora, who is named as a witness in the case, filed a defamation suit against Jacqueline in a Delhi court.
Sajid Khan’s participation on Bigg Boss 16
People had yet not forgotten the MeToo movement which had Housefull director Sajid among the biggest names on the list of sexual predators. Many actors had accused him of molestation and asking for sexual favours. But four years after the accusations, he was among the first few contestants on the show. Despite many raising objections over his participation, the channel did not pay any heed to demands for his eviction. Since Sajid continues to be safe from the nominations in the house, one must wonder if he will go on to win the show!
Ajay Devgn and Kiccha Sudeep get into a tussle over Hindi
South star Kiccha Sudeep hit the hornet’s nest with his statement at an event in April stating that “Hindi is no more a national language and that Bollywood is struggling, hence they are making pan-India films”. Objecting to his statement, Ajay asked him on Twitter in Hindi, ‘If Hindi is not our national language, then why do you dub your films in Hindi?’ Sudeep however chose peace and said his statement was taken out of context. But he did ask Ajay if he would have understood his response had he typed it in Kannada. “Don’t we too belong to India, sir,” Sudeep had tweeted.
Lal Singh Chaddha falls prey to cancel culture
Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha was one of the much-anticipated films this year but despite positive to mixed reviews, the film couldn’t bring in the expected collections at the box office. Some of the credit goes to the #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha trend on Twitter around its release. Some Twitter users circulated Aamir’s “India’s growing intolerance” statement from 2015 along with his ex-wife Kiran Rao’s old statement about leaving the country for the safety of their child. Co-star Kareena Kapoor’s old video in which she said she doesn’t care about trolls also went viral.
Deepika Padukone’s Besharam Rang
The year 2022 was a dull year for Bollywood with only a handful of blockbusters. But actors Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone brought the much-needed energy with the release of the first song Besharam Rang from their upcoming film Pathaan. Fans of the two couldn’t get enough of the trippy number but a few political leaders raised an objection over the colour of the saffron bikini worn by Deepika in the song. Many called for a ban on the film. Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra said it “has been shot with a dirty mindset”. The head priest of a temple in Ayodhya even said that he would burn Shah Rukh ‘alive’.
