Year wrap: Controversies that rocked Bollywood in 2022
The year 2022 was one that came with fantastic highs to some grave lows for the Hindi film industry. While the success of Gangubai Kathiawadi and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 were some of the high points for Bollywood, the industry was also embroiled in multiple controversies, including Ranveer Singh's nude photoshoot. Here is a recap of the biggest controversies of Bollywood in 2022.
Ajay Devgn and Kichcha Sudeep's national language debate
Ajay Devgn and Kichcha Sudeep engaged in a Twitter debate over Hindi language. Sudeep said, "Hindi is no more a national language." Reacting to this, Devgn asked why South films were being dubbed in Hindi for releases, adding that it's "our mother tongue and our national language." While they settled the matter eventually, it led to political leaders indulging in a war of words.
Akshay Kumar's pan masala advertisement
After Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan, a pan masala brand hired Akshay Kumar for its endorsement. The ad featuring Kumar triggered outrage on social media. Netizens found old videos of the actor where he spoke against promoting tobacco brands even if he was paid a hefty price. The backlash led Kumar to withdraw his association with the brand, publicly apologizing for the same.
'Kaali's controversial poster
Multiple FIRs were registered against filmmaker Leena Manimekalai for the poster of her documentary Kaali. The controversial poster showed Goddess Kali smoking a cigarette and holding a pride flag. "It feels like the whole nation, which has now deteriorated from the largest democracy to the largest hate machine, wants to censor me," wrote Manimekalai, reacting to the controversy.
The #BoycottBollywood trend
Bollywood has had possibly the biggest setback in terms of box office collections with many films failing to attract an audience. The issue became bigger when Aamir Khan requested people to not boycott Laal Singh Chaddha which eventually ignited #BoycottBollywood and gave rise to #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha on Twitter. The trend impacted several other films including Liger which marked Vijay Deverakonda's Hindi film debut.
Singh's nude photoshoot row
Singh's bold photoshoot for a fashion magazine landed him in a legal soup after an FIR was lodged against him at Mumbai's Chembur police station. While several actors including Alia Bhatt and Arjun Kapoor came out in support of Singh, appreciating the artistic version behind the nude photo shoot, the Cirkus actor was booked for alleged obscenity in July over the nude photoshoot.
Sajid Khan, 'Bigg Boss,' and #MeToo
When Sajid Khan entered the Bigg Boss 16 house as a contestant, it brought a lot of backlash on social media. Many, including those who accused him of sexual harassment during 2018's #MeToo movement, spoke against his heroic welcome in the reality show. Celebrities such as Ali Fazal, Sona Mohapatra, and Uorfi Javed, among many others, demanded his removal from the show.
'The Kashmir Files' controversy at IFFI
Anupam Kher-starrer The Kashmir Files, which was one of the 15 films at the International Film Festival of India's (IFFI) competition section, embroiled in a controversy when jury member Nadav Lapid called it a "vulgar, propaganda" film. Lapid faced backlash on the internet for his comments. Though he did apologize for hurting sentiments, he chose to stay with his opinion on it.
'Pathaan' row over 'Besharam Rang'
After Pathaan's song Besharam Rang, featuring Shah Rukh and Deepika Padukone was released on December 12, many including Madhya Pradesh's home minister Narottam Mishra objected to Padukone's saffron-colored attire. Mishra asked the makers to make corrections to the song, including its alleged objectionable lyrics, failing which he said that the state government will have to think about the film's release in MP.
