Yearender 2022: Controversies That Stirred Bollywood

Controversies and Bollywood are almost synonymous and 2022 was no different. Somehow, film stars become the target of a debate for
what they say or wear or because of a relationship they are in. If not that, their film lands in trouble either due to its title or a particular song etc. Sometimes, they have to pay a heavy price for their friendships.

Here’s what was controversial in 2022.

Ranveer Singh

Ranveer Singh, known for his flashy fashion sense landed in trouble for not wearing any clothes at all! He posed nude for a magazine photoshoot earlier this year. An FIR was filed and the Padmavat actor was booked for obscenity. In his statement to the police, the actor stated that one of the photos from the shoot was tampered with and morphed, and the image where his private parts were visible did not belong to him.

Jacqueline Fernandez

She was news right from the beginning of the year after several intimate photos of her and conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar surfaced online and went viral in January. Throughout the year, Jacqueline was summoned several times by the Enforcement Director in connection with her involvement in the Sukesh Chandrasekhar money laundering case. As per the ED, the conman showered the actress and her family with expensive gifts and she consciously overlooked Sukesh’s criminal past. In December, the actress had also sought permission to travel to Bahrain to meet her mother, but withdrew her plea after she was told by the court that the case is at a crucial stage.

Vijay Deverakonda

The Enforcement Directorate grilled the south star for more than nine hours in connection with the money laundering case registered after a complaint was filed with the central agency stating that hawala money was invested in the movie ‘Liger’ by a top Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader. Sources said Vijay was questioned in a case related to an alleged FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999) violation. Earlier on November 17, ED questioned ‘Liger’ producer Charmme Kaur over an alleged FEMA violation. The film starring Vijay Deverakonda, Ananya Panday, Ramya Krishnan and Ronit Roy was made on a budget of Rs 120 crore.

Aamir Khan and Laal Singh Chaddha

Aamir Khan returned to the big screen after a gap of four years with his much-awaited film ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’. However, just when the trailer of the film was released, the boycott Bollywood brigade started an online campaign urging people not to watch it in theatres.  Some Twitter users dug up Aamir’s controversial ‘India’s growing intolerance’ statement and circulated it on the micro-blogging site. The film turned out to be a disaster at the Box Office.

The Kashmir Files

The Vivek Agnihotri film created a nationwide storm before, during and after its release. It was screened at the Internation Film Festival of India which was held in Goa last month, where the head of the jury, Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid addressed the audience and called the film ‘propaganda, vulgar’. He stated, “All of us were disturbed and shocked by the 15th film, ‘The Kashmir Files’. That felt like a propaganda, vulgar movie, inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival. I feel totally comfortable openly sharing these feelings here with you at this stage. In the spirit of this festival, we can surely also accept a critical discussion, which is essential for art and life,” said Nadav at the festival’s closing ceremony.

Shah Rukh Khan and Pathaan

The film has started making headlines even before its release. Its song ‘Besharam Rang’ featuring Deepika Padukone and SRK is facing severe backlash on account of an orange bikini Deepika donned in one of the sequences. The song lyrics – Besharam (shameless) rang (colour) has been quite literally assumed to be an insult to Hinduism. Several outfits and their leaders also strongly objected to Deepika’s orange bikini and Shah Rukh’s green shirt and expressed their displeasure saying their sentiments have been hurt. They have demanded immediate change to the song lyrics and scenes featuring the actress in the orange bikini. Meanwhile, the movie is all set to arrive in cinemas on January 25, 2022.