Year ender 2023: 10 biggest controversies that roiled Bollywood this year

| Updated: 22 December, 2023 1:30 pm IST

NEW DELHI: One might use controversies as a synonym to Bollywood since the Hindi movie industry is always broiling with them. From Deepika and Ranveer’s ‘Koffee with Karan’ show to Alia Bhatt’s lipstick controversy, netizens were quick to nitpick the faults.

As we approach 2024, here is a lookback at the top 10 controversies that surrounded the movie industry:

Koffee With Karan ft Deepika Padukone-Ranveer Singh

Karan Johar’s famed talk show, ‘Koffee With Karan’, often labelled the ‘controversial couch’, featured the premiere episode with Bollywood’s dynamic duo, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. However, the episode stirred controversy when Deepika confessed to having ‘dated others’ during the early stages of her relationship with Ranveer. Despite clarifying her emotional dedication to her husband, this admission garnered criticism from viewers who accused her of keeping Ranveer as a secondary choice.

Alia Bhatt’s lipstick controversy

In the midst of a lipstick tutorial, Alia Bhatt referenced Ranbir Kapoor, recounting moments from their dating days. Recalling their outings, she shared, “Whenever we went out at night, he (Ranbir Kapoor) would suggest wiping it off because he preferred the natural colour of my lips.” Alia explained this as the reason behind her habit of using her fingers to remove most of the lipstick, leaving only a hint of colour. Her revelation led to public perception painting Ranbir as controlling, with many labelling the actor as ‘toxic’.

Adipurush falls flat on box office

Despite its acclaim as a grand retelling of the Ramayana saga, Om Raut’s high-budget venture, ‘Adipurush’, turned out to be a significant failure at the box office. From subpar visual effects and lacklustre graphics to unsatisfactory dialogue and an underwhelming plot, the hopeful audience was left greatly disappointed by the Prabhas and Kriti Sanon-led film. Despite attempts to modify certain dialogues post the release of ‘Adipurush’, the movie became the target of extensive online mockery and criticism.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui-Avneet Kaur kiss

Kiss between Nawaz and Avneet in ‘Tiku weds Sheru’

Amidst the spotlight on Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s highly publicised divorce from Aaliya, he took on a role in an OTT film named ‘Tiku Weds Sheru’ alongside Avneet Kaur. In a scene from the film, 49-year-old Nawazuddin and 21-year-old Avneet shared a kiss, triggering widespread outrage on social media owing to their significant age gap. Subsequently, the film’s creators attempted to defend the scene, asserting that it was part of a fictional narrative where the actors were simply portraying their roles.

Animal

Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ‘Animal’ has become the eye of the storm. Although Ranbir Kapoor’s performance impressed many, a certain section of people found the movie to be objectionable. Its portrayal of toxic masculinity, misogyny, chauvinistic approach, unnecessary violence, and poor treatment of women whipped up an online storm. Adding to the factor was Rashmika Mandanna’s unclear dialogue delivery in the trailer which left many scratching their heads. But after ‘Animal’s’ release, movie-goers realised that her dialogue was at par with the film scene.

Besharam rang song ft Deepika in orange bikini

The ‘Besharam Rang’ song featuring Deepika Padukone and Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Pathaan’ faced considerable backlash, particularly aimed at Deepika’s orange bikini and her provocative dance moves choreographed by Vaibhavi Merchant. Criticism mounted, with a Madhya Pradesh minister even threatening to block the movie’s release in the state unless the scene or song was removed.

Despite the intense criticism and threats, ‘Pathaan’ emerged as Bollywood’s highest-grossing film of all time.

Om Raut’s unexpected kiss with Kriti Sanon

The unexpected kiss between director Om Raut and his ‘Adipurush’ leading lady Kriti Sanon stirred up significant controversy. The act, which took place at the Tirupati temple while both were praying for the success of ‘Adipurush’ before its release, was deemed unexpected and unwelcome by many.

Abhishek and Aishwarya strife

There have been rumours of separation between the Bollywood couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai for sometime now. But it has been confirmed now that the two have started living separately. Recently, the Bachchan family was seen together at Agastya Nanda’s debut film ‘The Archies’. However, it is unlikely that the duo will take a divorce, making the separation official.

Kriti revelation of trading platforms on Koffee with Karan

In the highly contentious show of producer Karan Johar, Koffee with Karan, another star found themselves embroiled in a controversy. This time it was ‘Mimi’ famed star Kriti Sanon. When asked about how she makes so much money despite not signing any movie in 2023, Kriti told the host Karan that she doesn’t need to sign any movie to get rich. After that, the show went downhill as the star went on to show the apps she trades on and suggested others to do so too.

This stirred a controversy with Sanon having to take to social media platform Instagram to claim that the claims are ‘false’.

Priyanka Chopra’s revelation about feeling cornered in Bollywood

Priyanka Chopra’s disclosure regarding feeling boxed in within Bollywood during the Citadel promotions ignited conversations. While some raised queries about her past silence on the matter, Priyanka underscored that she has moved forward and is now openly addressing it.

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