Bhubaneswar: As 2025 draws to a close, the Hindi film industry, often celebrated for its on-screen glamour, found itself embroiled in a series of off-screen dramas that captured national attention. From violent attacks on stars to heated debates over working conditions and renewed tensions over cross-border collaborations, Bollywood’s year was marked by controversies that sparked widespread discussions on celebrity safety, professional ethics, and cultural sensitivities.
From the biggest celebrities to the budding names, here is a recap of the highly publicised off-screen dramas that dominated headlines in 2025:
1. Saif Ali Khan Stabbing Incident: One of the most shocking incidents occurred on January 16 when actor Saif Ali Khan was stabbed multiple times during a late-night intrusion at his Bandra residence in Mumbai. The intruder, later identified as Shariful Islam Shehzad, a Bangladeshi national, broke into the home in an alleged burglary attempt. Saif sustained serious injuries, including to his thoracic spine, requiring emergency surgery at Lilavati Hospital. He was discharged on January 21, but the attack raised alarming questions about celebrity security in the city. The incident also prompted the Kapoor-Khan family to request greater privacy from paparazzi for their children.
2. Udit Narayan’s Kissing Fan: Udit Narayan stirred a controversy after an undated video of him grabbing and kissing a female fan on the lips while she was taking a selfie went viral on social media in January. These visuals dented the 70-year-old singer’s image as a family man but he remained unfazed even cracking jokes about it. The septuagenarian singer kin consists of his wife Deepa, son Aditya, daughter-in-law Shweta and granddaughter Tvisha.
3. 8 Hour Shift Demand: Motherhood and work-life balance became a flashpoint when Deepika Padukone reportedly exited high-profile projects like Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit and the Kalki 2898 AD sequel. Sources indicated her request for eight-hour shifts was a key factor, sparking a polarised debate. Deepika later addressed the issue, noting that male superstars have long adhered to similar limits without scrutiny, and highlighted the industry’s disorganised nature and gender disparities in working conditions.
4. Paresh Rawal Exit & Return To Phir Hera Pheri: Fans were stunned when Paresh Rawal announced his exit from the long-awaited Hera Pheri 3 due to creative and contractual differences. Legal notices flew, but differences were resolved, and Rawal rejoined the project amid speculation of a publicity stunt. Hera Pheri has a cult following with Akshay Kumar as Raju, Suniel Shetty as Shyam and Rawal as Baburao. At this moment, there is no clarity on production and release of the comedy movie much to the disappointment of fans.
5. Boycott Of Pakistani Artistes: Following a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam in April, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) reinstated a blanket ban on Pakistani artists working in Indian projects. This directly impacted films like Abir Gulaal, starring Fawad Khan and Vaani Kapoor, which was effectively barred from release in India, and Diljit Dosanjh’s Sardaar Ji 3, featuring Hania Aamir, prompting the makers to forgo an Indian theatrical rollout amid backlash.
6. Inheritance Fight For Sunjay Kapur’s Estate: Karisma Kapoor’s ex-husband Sunjay Kapur died at age 53 on June 12 without leaving a will for his estate valued at Rs 30,000 crore, which ignited a bitter inheritance dispute. The couple was married from 2003 to 2016 and shared two children. Sunjay later married Priya Sachdev Kapur. His passing, however, ignited a bitter inheritance dispute over his estimated Rs 30,000 crore estate. A legal battle is underway between his children from his marriage to Karisma (Samaira and Kiaan Raj) and his widow, Priya Sachdev Kapur, involving family members on both sides.
7. Virat’s ‘Like’ Causes Mayhem: In May, Virat Kohli got into trouble when he liked a post of an Instagram fan page dedicated to Avneet Kaur. The cricketer clarified on his Story, “I’d like to clarify that while clearing my feed, it appears the algorithm may have mistakenly registered an interaction”. Fans were unimpressed with his clarification and it led to more trolling.
8. Strained Marriage Of Govinda & Sunita Ahuja: The year also brought to the light the turbulent marriage of Govinda and Sunita Ahuja. Early in the years, there were reports of the couple filing for a divorce; however, this was shut down soon. Thereafter, Sunita Ahuja, on various occasions has hinted at her husband cheating on her; however, she has also confessed to having no evidence of the same. Some reports also indicate that the couple live separately.
9. Smriti Mandhana-Palash Muchhal Wedding Called Off: Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana and music composer-filmmaker Palash Muchhal’s wedding, originally scheduled for November 23, was initially postponed indefinitely after Mandhana’s father suffered heart attack-like symptoms. Amid the health crisis, unverified leaked chat screenshots surfaced online, allegedly showing Palash flirtatiously messaging women while in a relationship with Mandhana. Social media speculation intensified with reports of deleted wedding posts, unfollows, and cryptic activity from Mandhana’s circle. In early December 2025, both confirmed the wedding was permanently cancelled without specifying reasons, requesting privacy as they move forward.
10. Legal Trouble for ‘Bads of Bollywood’: Aryan Khan’s directorial debut with the Netflix series, B***ds Of Bollywood, faced a high-profile legal challenge with former NCB officer Sameer Wankhede suing the filmmaker over alleged defamatory portrayal in the series, sparking debates on creative freedom.
11. India’s Got Latent Controversy: The Samay Raina-hosted show India’s Got Latent courted one of the biggest controversies of the year. Ranveer Allahbadia’s explicit question on the show led to multiple police complaints, and the removal of episodes. There were other controversies relating to the panellist Apoorva Mukhija as well. On October 26, Samay Raina took to his Instagram account to finally apologise for the matter.
12. Ranveer Singh’s Kantara Homage Backfires: Ranveer Singh sparked massive controversy at IFFI 2025 after mimicking the sacred Daiva Chavundi scene from Rishab Shetty’s Kantara and referring to the deity as a “female ghost”. As outrage mounted, Ranveer issued a public apology, reiterating his respect for all cultures. Responding to the incident, Rishab Shetty said, “That makes me uncomfortable. While much of the film is cinema and performance, the daiva element is sensitive and sacred.”
13. Vikram Bhatt Arrested: Vikram Bhatt and his wife Shwetambari Bhatt were arrested on December 7 in a Rs 30 crore cheating case. The case was filed by Dr Ajay Murdia, who had signed a deal with Vikram for 4 films.
14. Case Against Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra: Businessman Raj Kundra and his actor-wife Shilpa Shetty faced investigation in a Rs 60 crore fraud case linked to their defunct company, with a lookout circular issued.
15. Akshaye Khanna Walks Out of Drishyam 3: Drishyam 3 faced major controversy when Akshaye Khanna abruptly exited the film just days before shooting, despite signing a contract and receiving an advance payment. Producer Kumar Mangat Pathak publicly criticised the actor for his unprofessional behaviour, while mentioning his demand to wear a wig, which the director rejected due to continuity issues. He sent a legal notice for breach of contract. Though Akshaye exit occurred before his acclaimed performance in Dhurandhar released, some speculated post-success fee hikes as the reason.
