From Sushant Singh Rajput’s tragic death and the ongoing questioning investigation to Shilpa Shetty’s husband and businessman Raj Kundra’s case, 2020-2021 undoubtedly proved to be Bollywood’s most contentious years.
What was meant to be a year full of ambitious projects, new releases, exciting debuts, unique storylines, and technological advancements in the field of post-production turned out to be Bollywood’s and its mighty celebrities’ most problematic year ever. A big portion of it can be traced to the extraordinary COVID-19 outbreak, which forced movie theatres to close briefly.
Here’s looking back at all the controversies that hit Bollywood in 2020-2021:
Nepotism debate after Sushant Singh Rajput’s death:
Many well-known celebrities from the Hindi cinema industry have said their final goodbyes to the world in 2020. From Rishi Kapoor to Irrfan Khan, the industry has lost some of its most valuable assets. But it was the death of Sushant Singh Rajput that came as shocking news for the nation and the industry. On June 14, the actor, 34, the actor passed away. Sushant was initially thought to have committed suicide.
A few industry insiders, including actress Kangana Ranaut, expressed their displeasure with the actor’s treatment, reigniting the nepotism topic on social media. As a result, Bollywood filmmaker-producer Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt, and a few others have been widely chastised.
NCB summons in drugs case after Sushant Singh Rajput’s death:
In addition to a possible drug connection in Sushant’s death case, the NCB suspected a drug connection in the film business. In reality, Kangana said that 98 percent of members of the film industry use drugs. The NCB then began investigating both instances at the same time. The NCB summoned Deepika Padukone, Rakul Preet Singh, Sara Ali Khan, and Shraddha Kapoor, among others, as part of their inquiry.
Sara and Shraddha were Sushant’s co-stars in Kedarnath and Chhichhore, while Deepika and Rakul were summoned based on suspected online talks. Sara and Sushant were also said to have dated for a short time.
Karan Johar’s party:
Earlier in 2020, the Narcotics Control Bureau has issued a warning to film director Karan Johar over a video of a party that he hosted last year and at which several Bollywood celebrities were present. Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Vicky Kaushal, Varun Dhawan, Shahid Kapoor, and Malaika Arora, as well as directors Ayan Mukherjee and Zoya Akhtar, were a part of the video.
Kangana Ranaut Vs Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor:
Kangana has blasted a number of her peers and members of the film industry in the last year for various reasons. She first accused Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra of running a “movie mafia” in the industry, reigniting the nepotism argument following Sushant’s untimely death. In the nepotism controversy, she also poked fun at Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor.
Kangana Ranaut Vs Deepika Padukone, Taapsee Pannu, Swara Bhasker, Richa Chadha:
She then accused Deepika Padukone of conducting a “dhandha” in the name of mental health discussions, referring to the latter’s mental health awareness organization. Other actresses that have received praise from the actress include Taapsee Pannu, Swara Bhasker, and Richa Chadha. Kangana faced a lot of flak for labeling them “B-grade actresses” in her posts on social media.
Deepika Padukone’s visit to JNU:
Deepika Padukone, a Bollywood actress, paid a visit to the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in early 2020 to express support with students demonstrating against violence. Deepika’s film Chhapaak was ready to hit theatres, and following her courageous gesture, which was praised by many, several others believed it was a “publicity stunt.” On Twitter, a few social media users began the ‘Boycott Chhappak’ trend, urging people not to watch the film.
Kangana Ranaut Vs Diljit Dosanjh:
Kangana Ranaut and Punjabi singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh got into a Twitter spat after the latter called her out for incorrectly identifying the Shaheen Bagh activist, also known as Bilkis Bano didi, at the farmers’ demonstration. Kangana addressed Diljit as “Karan Johar ke paltu” in a series of tweets in Punjabi.
Sonu Nigam Vs T-Series:
Another controversy that rocked the Indian music industry occurred when acclaimed singer Sonu Nigam stated that he would not be surprised if the number of suicides in the music profession increases. Sonu has accused T-Series’ Bhushan Kumar of leading a music industry mafia.’ T-Series’ Divya Khosla Kumar responded with a video that created even more controversy.
Payal Ghosh accusing Anurag Kashyap:
Payal Ghosh said in September that filmmaker Anurag Kashyap had forced himself on her in 2014. She further claims that Anurag told her that Richa Chadha, Huma Qureshi, and Mahie Gill had done him sexual favors. Richa didn’t take it lying down, even when Huma and Mahie made it plain that Anurag never misbehaved with her. Payal Ghosh was sued for defamation. Payal was asked to give a written apology later.
Raj Kundra arrest:
The most recent controversy that’s been in the news since a week now is that Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra’s husband, businessman Raj Kundra, was arrested by Mumbai’s Crime Branch after he was accused of being a “key conspirator” in the creation of hundreds of pornographic content.
