FLASHBACK 2015: Bollywood’s Biggest Controversies

Bollywood is a breeding ground of controversies.

Be it about stars, their filmi affairs or personal ones, there’s no dearth of jhamelas in B-Town. Here’s taking a look at the most contentious issues that rocked Hindi filmdom in 2015.

Salman Khan’s Conviction And Acquittal

When the sessions court convicted Salman Khan in the 2002 hit-and-run case, it caused a furore in the industry. But within hours of conviction, the actor-producer was home, thanks to a timely bail application that was moved in the Bombay High Court. Sallu and his lawyers also filed a fresh appeal in the HC. Finally, on December 10, the 13-year-long court drama ended with Salman walking home a free man. The Maharashtra government is now planning to take the case to Supreme Court.

Anushka Blamed For Virat’s Batting

Anushka Sharma was widely blamed for India’s consistent losses in successive cricket tournaments, including the exit from the World Cup. Many social media users said her presence at the matches was distracting her beau from the game. Some also called her inauspicious.

Aamir, Shah Rukh And Intolerance

In November, all hell broke loose when Aamir Khan was quoted as saying that his wife Kiran Rao was worried about the growing intolerance in India and had even suggested leaving the country. The ruckus ended only two days later when the actor clarified that he and his wife weren’t planning to go anywhere. He, however, stood by whatever else he had said.

A few days later, SRK also faced severe backlash when he said there was “extreme intolerance” in the country. Shah Rukh had to finally issue a clarification saying that his statement was misconstrued!

Sooraj Pancholi-Jiah Khan: A Hate Story

Horrifying details came out when the CBI chargesheeted Sooraj Pancholi for abetting his then girlfriend Jiah Khan’s suicide. The investigating agency, in its chargesheet, claimed there were heated text message exchanges between the two just before the actress took her life. The chargesheet also had graphic details of Jiah’s abortion and Sooraj’s role in it.

When Salman Supported Yakub Memon

Salman Khan invited severe backlash for supporting 1993 Mumbai serial blasts-accused Yakub Memon on Twitter. The supreme court had sentenced Memon to death and the punishment was executed in July this year. But a few days before the terrorist was hanged, Salman tweeted his sentiments, which were clearly against the death sentence.

Within minutes, there were plenty of angry reactions of Twitter, which forced Sallu’s father Salim Khan to pull him up. The actor finally deleted the comments.

Radhika Apte’s Nude Video Goes Viral

One of B-Town’s biggest scandals this year was when a video featuring Radhika Apte’s frontal nudity -- meant for a short film directed by Anurag Kashyap -- leaked online and went viral. While the filmmaker was upset over the incident, the actress couldn’t care less.

Ekta Kapoor’s  Nudity Clause

Ekta Kapoor created a lot of buzz earlier this year by introducing a nudity clause in the contracts of the actresses working on her erotic film, XXX. The first girl to sign the contract was Kyra Dutt, a former Kingfisher Calendar model, who was also roped in as a heroine in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Calendar Girls.

Censor Board’s Sharp Scissors

Pahlaj Nihalani’s appointment as the Chairman of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) spelt trouble for several moviemakers. The cuts suggested by him and his ‘ati-sanskari’ committees left many films high and dry. While Hollywood’s 50 Shades of Grey didn’t even release in India given the number of cuts, desi products like NH 10, Badlapur and Sooraj Barjatya’s Prem Ratan Dhan Payo also suffered.

Nihalani is so strict, when a wrongly certified version of NH10 was sent to certain foreign countries, he made the film’s producers -- Anushka Sharma, Eros and Phantom Films --  apologise.  

Salman Khan Threatens AIB’s Tanmay Bhatt

Salman Khan usually enjoys a good mazaak, but not if it’s on his family. So, when a joke was cracked on his kid sister Arpita’s physical appearance by Tanmay Bhatt and the All India Bakchod gang along with Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh, Sallu lost his cool.

To worsen the situation, the roast was anchored by Karan Johar. While many police complaints were lodged against the performers and celebrity guests -- Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt included -- KJo also faced another setback: Salman walked out of his ambitious project, Shuddhi, which later got shelved.

Aishwarya Accused Of Racism

A leading  South Indian jewellery brand was forced to withdraw a controversial ad featuring its brand ambassador Aishwarya Rai. The ad was described as an 'insidiously racist' one for showing Ash reclining under a parasol held over her head by a 'a dark-skinned slave-boy'. The actress’ office issued a statement saying the ad’s "final layout is the prerogative of the creative team of a brand" and she had nothing to do with it.

Big B, Madhuri, Preity Get Entangled In Maggi Noodles

Maggi noodles were taken off the shelves when "dangerous levels" of lead and MSG were found in it. Later, an FIR was filed in Bihar against Nestle officials and Maggi noodles’ brand ambassadors -- Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta -- following a court order. The actors were forced to clarify that they had nothing to do with the quality of the product.

The FTII Row

Students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) went on an indefinite strike on June 12, protesting against the appointment of television actor-turned-BJP politician Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman.

The 139-day battle was supported by students’ organisations and a host of filmmakers, including Dibakar Banerjee and Anand Patwardhan, who returned various government awards and honours. Some members of Bollywood fraternity -- Anupam Kher, Madhur Bhandarkar and Ashoke Pandit -- slammed this move as a “publicity gimmick”.

Deepika Padukone-Amitabh Bachchan Cold War