As the year 2024 nears its end, it’s time to reflect on the most explosive controversies that rocked the Indian film industry. From Salman Khan receiving death threats to Kangana Ranaut getting slapped, to the persistent buzz surrounding Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan‘s alleged separation and Allu Arjun’s shock arrest, this year has been marred by scandals that have left fans and celebrities alike reeling. Also read: Film industry’s mid-year report card is bleak, box office earnings down 39%
Let’s take a look back at the biggest controversies of 2024 that dominated headlines and sparked intense debates.
Laapataa Ladies Vs All We Imagine as Light
This year, the Film Federation of India (FFI) picked Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies as India’s official entry for the Oscars 2025, which sparked outrage in the virtual world with social media users feeling Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light was a more apt choice. Earlier this month, Laapataa Ladies film failed to enter the shortlist, which revived the stir with people slamming FFI for picking the film to send to the global stage.
Alia Bhatt’s Jigra runs into trouble
Alia Bhatt‘s film Jigra may have fallen short of box office expectations, but it sparked intense discussion and attention following its release. Divya Khossla Kumar accused Jigra makers of plagiarising the story of her film, Savi, which was also a jailbreak drama. She also accused them of rigging the box office numbers, claiming that Alia allegedly purchased tickets for “fake collection”.
While Alia didn’t react to the accusations, Karan Johar, who had backed the film, responded subtly by sharing a quote on his Instagram stories. The quote read, “Silence is the best speech you will ever give to fools.”
Kangana Ranaut’s slapgate
Back in June, days after she won the Lok Sabha election in Mandi on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket, when Kangana Ranaut was on her way to New Delhi, she was slapped at Chandigarh airport by a CISF personnel. An FIR was filed against Kulwinder Kaur consequently. After the incident, a host of Bollywood celebrities who’ve had long feuds with Kangana, including Hrithik Roshan, Alia Bhatt, Zoya Akhtar, and Soni Razdan showed solidarity with Kangana.
Malayalam cinema rocked by Hema Committee report
The Hema Committee report, which was focused on the Malayalam film industry, stirred conversations around workplace ethics in the entertainment world. The report was commissioned to investigate and address the rampant issues of sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry and put the spotlight on the issues faced by women in the industry. The report stated that female actors faced harassment, including instances where intoxicated individuals knocked on the doors of their rooms in the film industry. Many of the women expressed reluctance to complain due to fear. It also reported a lack of basic amenities such as toilets for women, adding that junior artists are treated ‘worse than slaves in Malayalam cinema’. The report led to the resignation of the entire all-powerful artists’ committee, AMMA, including its president, superstar Mohanlal.
Nayanthara and Dhanush’s ugly legal battle
Nayanthara sparked a controversy with an open letter, accusing producer and actor Dhanush of taking legal action against her and her husband, filmmaker Vignesh Shivan around the release of her documentary in December. The dispute revolved around a three-second clip from Nayanthara’s 2015 film Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, which was featured in the trailer for the couple’s upcoming Netflix documentary, Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale. Nayanthara alleged that Dhanush, who produced Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, has initiated legal proceedings against them for using the clip without permission. Dhanush’s lawyer has reacted to the stir by issuing a statement, which read, “The “behind the scenes footage belongs to my client as the producer of the film”.
Allu Arjun’s arrest
In December, days after the successful release of his film, Pushpa 2: The Rule, actor Allu Arjun was arrested by the Hyderabad Police in connection with the death of a fan at the film’s premiere. The actor had visited the Sandhya Theatre on December 4, which led to a stampede-like situation and a 35-year-old woman lost her life. Arjun was arrested after the woman’s kin filed a complaint accusing him of culpable homicide. After the Telangana High Court granted him interim bail, the actor was released but not before spending a night in jail. The arrest blew up into a political slugfest with the Opposition accusing the Telangana govt of hounding the actor.
AR Rahman’s separation news and the aftermath
AR Rahman shocked fans by announcing separation from Saira Banu after 29 years of marriage. The couple requested privacy in a joint statement that was shared by their lawyer. “After many years of marriage, Saira and her husband, A R. Rahman, have made the difficult decision to separate from each other. This decision comes after significant emotional strain in their relationship. Despite their deep love for each other, the couple has found that the tensions and difficulties have created an insurmountable gap between them, one that neither party feels able to bridge at this time,” read the joint statement. The separation took a new turn when his bassist Mohini Dey also announced her divorce on the same day, which led people to connect the two. Mohini denied the rumours, calling Rahman a “father figure”.
Arshad Warsi’s comment on Prabhas
Arshad Warsi sparked controversy when he called Prabhas‘ character in Kalki 2898 AD a “joker”. It all began during an interview with Samdish Bhatia, where Arshad spoke about Kalki 2898 AD. He said, “Prabhas, I am really sad, why was he… he was like a joker. Why? I want to see a Mad Max. I want to see Mel Gibson over there. Tumne usko kya bana dia yaar. Kyu karte ho aisa mujhe nahi samajh mein aata (What have you made of it? Why do they do such things I never understand)”. He later clarified that his comment was about the character, not the actor.
Poonam Pandey death hoax
In February, the news of Poonam Pandey‘s death due to cervical cancer took over social media. Her fans took to social media to express their grief. However, later it was revealed that it was a publicity stunt to raise awareness about cervical cancer. The move backfired, as the actor faced severe backlash online, with many condemning the stunt as insensitive and ill-conceived.
Sharmin Segal’s trolling for Heeramandi
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s OTT debut Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar was appreciated for the storyline but was panned for the casting of Sharmin Segal, the director’s. She was criticised for her “expressionless” acting, with many attributing the casting to nepotism. Sanjay came out to defend the casting, while Sharmin, in an interview, said that she is trying to focus on the positives instead of the negative.
Raveena Tandon gets assaulted by mob
Back in June, Raveena Tandon got into trouble in Mumbai’s Bandra. A video showed the actor pleading with the mob to not ‘hit her’ and trying to defend herself. It was claimed that a mob attacked Raveena and her driver due to rash driving. Later, in an interview with NewsX Live, Raveena shared that the attack was pre-planned as per Mumbai Police. “Unfortunately, this has been going on in Mumbai, which is a planned kind of a thing. Jo ki darane ki baat hai (which is only to intimidate),” she said.
Aishwarya and Abhishek’s separation speculations
The year 2024 was marked by rumours surrounding the marriage of Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan. The speculation about trouble in their relationship began to circulate in July, during Anant Ambani’s wedding. Aishwarya and her daughter Aaradhya arrived separately at the wedding, whereas the rest of the Bachchan family, including Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek, Shweta, Agastya Nanda, and Navya Naveli, made a joint appearance. The rumours gained further traction when Abhishek and the Bachchan family failed to publicly wish Aishwarya on her birthday. The family dispelled the buzz by making an appearance together at Aaradhya’s school event earlier this month. Aishwarya and Abhishek tied the knot in 2007 and share a daughter, Aaradhya Bachchan, born on November 16, 2011.
Stree 2 credit war
The success of Stree 2 was unfortunately overshadowed by a credit row. Following the film’s impressive box office performance, a tug-of-war emerged between the PRs of the film’s leads, Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor. According to various reports, the actors’ respective publicists engaged in a heated social media battle, each attempting to claim credit for the film’s success on behalf of their client.
Black marketing of concert tickets
Music mania took over India with many big artists from Diljit Dosanjh to Maroon 5 to AP Dhillon coming to the country for performances. That also brought to light the issue of black marketing of tickets. The issue emerged again with the announcement of Coldplay tickets. Following this, Maharashtra police’s cyber wing asked BookMyShow to take action to avoid black-marketing of tickets. The online ticketing platform also stated that they are doing their best to prevent illegal ticket sales.
Salman and Shah Rukh Khan get threats
Security was a major concern this year. Actor Salman Khan got around five threats. Salman is reportedly on gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s ‘hit list’, which also features names of comedians, politicians and rival gang members. Earlier this year, there was a shooting incident outside his residence, following which his security was beefed up. In November, actor Shah Rukh Khan was threatened by an anonymous caller demanding ₹50 lakh and threatening fatal consequences if the sum was not paid. A suspect was later arrested.
