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#2021Recap: A to Z of Bollywood in 2021

By Fenil Seta -

January 6, 2022 - 12:30 PM IST

Like any other year, 2021 was a roller-coaster ride filled with some significant, pleasantly surprising as well as astonishing events that took place and the manner in which some films performed at the box office. In a bid to understand this tumultuous and exciting year, we at Bollywood Hungama on a lighter note decided to redevelop the English alphabets from A-Z keeping in mind the important events of the year

A – Aryan Khan

Shah Rukh Khan’s son was arrested from a cruise in October over drug-related charges. He had to stay in prison for nearly 26 days before a team of expert lawyers got him out

#2021Recap: A to Z of Bollywood in 2021

B – Boycott

The ‘Boycott Bollywood’ drama continued but it’s clear that its supporters are fighting a losing battle, especially how so many films, including the ones starring star kids, did so well.

C – Controversy over Kartik Aaryan’s ouster

The charming actor suddenly found himself in the biggest controversy of his career after he was ousted from Dostana 2, allegedly due to unprofessionalism.

D – Drone

The most-loved device became a butt of all jokes after reports emerged that drones would be shot if found illegally hovering over the venue of Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif’s wedding.

E – Eighty-Three (83)

The much-awaited film finally had a release and got a lot of praise from critics and audiences alike.

F – (The) Family Man 2

It was the most successful web show of 2021 and was loved for its performances, treatment, writing and of course, Chellam Sir!

G – Gigantic tiff between exhibitors and studios

2021 saw a historic fight between exhibitors and studios, first during the clash of Sooryavanshi and Eternals, and later during the release period of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Pushpa and 83.

H – Hollywood

Hollywood films had the best performance out of cinema of all languages and helped many exhibitors sail through. Before the second lockdown, Godzilla vs Kong emerged as a huge hit. Post the second wave, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings was the first hit followed by Eternals and finally, the historic blockbuster, Spider-Man: No Way Home.

I – (Lara Dutta as) Indira Gandhi

The trailer of Bellbottom prominently showed a performer playing Indira Gandhi. It took a while for people to realize that the actor playing the part of the ex-Prime Minister is none other than Lara Dutta.

J – Jehangir

Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan gave birth to their second child and his name, too, led to trolling.

K – Kangana Ranaut

Controversy’s favourite child continued to be in the news, mostly for the wrong reasons.

L – Louis Vuitton and other gifts given to Jacqueline Fernandez

Jacqueline Fernandez found herself in a soup after it became known that she was close to alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar. According to the chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate, the actress was gifted Gucci and Chanel bags, diamond earrings, Louis Vuitton shoes and Mini Cooper from Sukesh.

M – Mimi

The Kriti Sanon-starrer arrived all of a sudden (due to a leak) and won our hearts. The biggest surprise of the year.

N –Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar and Zee5

The OTT platforms continued to grow bigger. The direct OTT releases became minimal once cinemas reopened. But the trend is here to stay

O – Omicron

The Covid-19 pandemic ruined the first 10 months of the year for Bollywood. When things were getting normal, the new variant has once again led to night curfews in certain states, thus affecting the film business.

P – Prominent celebs get into legal trouble

Raj Kundra got arrested for making porn while Sonu Sood, Taapsee Pannu and Anurag Kashyap were raised by the Income Tax Department. Nora Fatehi was questioned in the Sukesh Chandrasekhar while Ananya Panday was questioned in the Cruise Drugs case involving Aryan Khan

Q – Quality songs

The songs in films like Shershaah, Atrangi Re etc were soulful and touched viewers’ hearts, leading to millions of views

R – Radhe – Your Most Wanted Bhai

The Salman Khan-starrer had a hybrid release on Eid. The pay-per-view idea was not successful since it didn’t take off and no other film opted for it.

S - Shershaah, Sooryavanshi

The Sidharth Malhotra-starrer Shershaah got love from all quarters and was the most successful digital film of 2021. As for the box office hit, the number one grosser in Hindi was Sooryavanshi. The Akshay Kumar starrer and Rohit Shetty directed film played a huge role in reviving cinemas.

T – Tandav and triple role of John Abraham

The Saif Ali Khan’s web series and the multiple characters of John in Satyameva Jayate 2 failed to impress audiences.

U – Untimely demise of Sidharth Shukla

The much-loved star passed away all of a sudden on September 2, 2021, shocking everyone in and outside the industry.

V – Vaani Kapoor

The actress’ career got a boost with her fabulous performance as a trans woman in Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui

W – (Sameer) Wankhede

The zonal director of Narcotics Control Bureau continued to harass Bollywood celebs this year too. However, after some uncomfortable aspects of his life came to the fore, he decided to lie low.

X – (E)xtreme collections of films

Films like Godzilla vs Kong, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Pushpa (Hindi) surprised everyone with their collections. On the other hand, Satyameva Jayate 2, Mumbai Saga, Saina, Thalaivii and Chehre earned peanuts at the box office.

Y – Yash Raj Films

The premiere production house had a poor 2021 as both their releases – Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraarand Bunty Aur Babli 2 – failed to work at the box office. Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, however, got its due on Amazon Prime. 2022 is expected to be significant for YRF as it’ll release Prithviraj, Shamshera, Tiger 3 and Shah Rukh Khan’s comeback film, Pathan.