#2022Recap: Bollywood’s BIGGEST and SHOCKING controversies of 2022 2022 : Bollywood News

Like every year, 2022, too, was riddled with some big controversies involving our film stars and film fraternity members. Bollywood Hungama, in this special report, brings to you the major controversies that made the maximum news this year.

1. ‘Besharam Rang’ sparks protests

#2022Recap: Bollywood’s BIGGEST and SHOCKING controversies of 2022

The seductive song ‘Besharam Rang’ from the upcoming Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan got into a controversy, more so after Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra cried foul. He claimed that the song hurts religious sentiments since Deepika Padukone is seen wearing an orange coloured dress! Many found the whole argument amusing but nevertheless, it led to protests in several parts of the country.

2. Aamir Khan fans the flames of Laal Singh Chaddharow

Aamir Khan’s film Laal Singh Chaddha was ‘boycotted’ on social media and the protest movement got a boost after the superstar acknowledged it in an interview. He requested people not to boycott his film and that it’s unfortunate that some people question his patriotism. As expected, the ‘boycott’ group went into overdrive and claimed victory when Laal Singh Chaddha bombed at the box office.

3. Brahmastra boycott row

The same group then tried the same trick with Brahmastra. An eleven-year-old video was unearthed where Ranbir Kapoor shared his love for beef. Hence, a narrative was built that he and his wife Alia Bhatt are anti-Hindu. This time, their efforts proved futile as Brahmastra emerged as one of the biggest hits of 2022.

4. Adipurush trolled heavily for its VFX

The teaser of Prabhas’ upcoming film Adipurush was launched in a grand fashion that too in Ayodhya. But the VFX received criticism from all quarters. Realizing that it’s not correct to release a film on a revered God when the trolling is at an all-time high, the makers decided to rework on VFX. It led to the film’s release being pushed from January to June 2023.

5. Richa Chadha’s tweet raises tempers

A tweet stating ‘Galwan says hi’ by Richa Chadha sparked fury among netizens who found it objectionable and against the country’s interests. The actress was compelled to apologize. Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit however went ahead and filed a case against him, citing that a mere apology won’t work.

6. KRK arrested

The self-proclaimed critic Kamaal R Khan was arrested on August 30 as soon as he landed at the Mumbai airport for his derogatory tweets about Akshay Kumar’s film Laxmmi (2020) and Ram Gopal Verma in 2020. Later, he was slapped with a molestation case and he was able to secure bail and come out of jail on September 7.

7. Controversies during the release of The Kashmir Files

Vivek Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files opened at just Rs. 3 crores but soon saw extraordinary jumps at the box office. While many loved the film, a section of celebs and politicians had issues with it. Prakash Raj alleged that the film sowed the seeds of hatred while Naseeruddin Shah called The Kashmir Files an 'almost fictionalized version of the suffering of Kashmiri Hindus'. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal objected to BJP asking for tax-free status in the National Capital. He suggested that the film should be made available on YouTube for free. The Kashmir Files actor Anupam Kher reacted sharply to it. Vivek Agnihotri, meanwhile, was provided with ‘Y’ security after there were fears that there might be a threat to his life. On the other hand, fearing that The Kashmir Files could lead to law and order problems, the administration in Kota imposed Section 144 for a few days. Bollywood Hungama had reported that in Eylex Cinemas, Sambalpur, Odisha, a show of Akshay Kumar’s Bachchhan Paandey was forcibly stopped by miscreants who demanded that The Kashmir Files be played instead, though the latter was playing in other screens of the multiplex.

8. The Kashmir Files IFFI row

At the government-run 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, the organizers were left red-faced after Israeli screenwriter Nadav Lapid, also the jury head, stated that The Kashmir Files felt like a “propaganda, vulgar movie, inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival”. The ones against the film felt vindicated over this episode. But many criticized Nadav, especially the film’s team and accused him of downplaying the suffering of Kashmiri Pandits. The matter became so acute that the Israeli ambassador to India Naor Gilon slammed Nadav for damaging Israel's ties with India. Nadav later gave interviews wherein he made it clear that his comments were about the film and that he didn’t mean to disrespect any community or tragedy.

9. Dhaakad’s super-debacle

Kangana Ranaut-starrer Dhaakad opened to poor houses across the country on May 20. From Sunday, May 22, the film started getting trolled after reports came in that the shows of the film have been cancelled due to no show. The trolling reached another level after Bollywood Hungama reported that the film was seen only by 20 people across the country on its eighth day, amounting to collections of just Rs. 4420.

10. Ranveer Singh’s nude photoshoot

Ranveer Singh’s nude photoshoot appeared in Paper magazine, shocking and surprising many. However, a few people got offended and they filed FIRs against the actor hurting the sentiments of women in general and insulting their modesty through his photographs. The complainant, Vedika Chaubey, became the butt of jokes after she claimed Ranveer Singh showing his bum is a 'national issue'. In a statement to the police, he denied posing fully nude and claimed that one of the photographs was morphed.

11. Hera Pheri 3: Exit Akshay, enter Kartik Aaryan

Last month, reports began circulating that Akshay Kumar won’t be a part of Hera Pheri 3. Paresh Rawal confirmed it when a netizen asked him if this is true and that Kartik Aaryan has bagged the film. Paresh replied in the affirmative. The next day, at a summit in Delhi, Akshay claimed that he declined Hera Pheri 3 as he was not happy with the script. It became a major talking point as fans loved his portrayal of Raju in this series and were looking forward to seeing him in the third installment.

12. Jacqueline Fernandez vs Nora Fatehi

In April this year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached assets worth Rs. 7.27 crores belonging to Jacqueline Fernandez. It was done when the ED was investigating the Rs. 200 crore money laundering case against alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar. Soon, intimate pictures of Jacqueline and Sukesh went viral. Even Nora Fatehi's name emerged though she claimed she was a “victim of the conspiracy and not a conspirator”. A few weeks ago, Nora filed a criminal defamation complaint against fellow Jacqueline Fernandez for “unfairly dragging” her name into the Sukesh Chandrasekhar case.

13. Akshay Kumar lands in soul for pan masala ad

Akshay Kumar, known for his healthy lifestyle, was criticized after he endorsed the Vimal pan masala brand. The actor was saddened by the trolling, due to which he announced that he’ll step back as the ambassador of Vimal. Yet, many felt that he shouldn’t have agreed to sign up for the deal in the first place, especially when he had declared a few years ago that he’ll never endorse tobacco products.

14. Ajay Devgn vs Kiccha Sudeep

On April 27, Ajay Devgn shocked everybody as he tagged Kiccha Sudeep and questioned him over his remarks on Hindi not being the national language. The Vikrant Rona (2022) actor immediately clarified his stand and Ajay also thanked him for clearing the misunderstanding. But it once again ignited the age-old language debate.

15. Prithviraj title row

The trailer of Akshay Kumar-starrer Prithviraj was launched with much fanfare in May 2022 wherein director Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi assured that the title of the film will not be changed, despite some sections claiming that it has hurt their sentiments. A few weeks later, however, Dr Dwivedi and the producers, Yash Raj Films (YRF), had to give in and rename the film Samrat Prithviraj.

16. Shehzada makers stop Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo’s release in Hindi in cinemas

In January, taking advantage of no releases due to the Omicron scare and government restrictions, Manish Shah of Goldmines announced that he’ll release the Hindi version of Allu Arjun-starrer Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020) in theatres. In 72 hours, the release plan was cancelled after Allu Aravind, the producer of Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, flew down from Hyderabad to meet Manish Shah and convinced him to change his mind. This was done as Shehzada, the remake of Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, was in the works and the fear was that the remake’s box office prospects would be hampered big time. Meanwhile, in an interview, Manish Shah grabbed headlines when he claimed that Kartik Aaryan had threatened to walk out of Shehzada if Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo’s Hindi version hit cinemas.

17. Urvashi Rautela’s RP saga

In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Urvashi Rautela claimed that a man with the initial RP waited for her for 10 hours in the lobby. The netizens began speculating that the actress hinted at cricketer Rishabh Pant. The claims went viral, urging Ribhash to put out a clarification, which he later deleted. Urvashi then hit back at him. A few months later, she claimed that RP is none other than Ram Pothineni, a character actor from the South film industry.

18. First Marathi release of 2022: the most controversial one

The first controversy of the year arose when Mahesh Manjrekar released his Marathi film Nay Varan Bhat Loncha Kon Nai Koncha, starring Kashmera Shah and others, on January 14. The trailer was released just a few days before release and it led to an uproar, over its titillating scenes. The National Commission For Women (NCW) raised a protest after receiving a complaint from the Bharatiya Stree Shakti two days before release. The organization raised a hue and cry over the scenes depicting women and a minor boy in compromising positions. A case was filed under the POSCO for the alleged explicit display of ‘child pornography’. The film, however, gained from these controversies and got some footfalls.

19. Kaali poster row

In July 2022, Toronto-based director Leena Manimekalai shared the poster of her film Kaali that showed the goddess smoking and holding an LGBTQ flag. It became a big talking point. But Leena remained unfazed and urged people to watch the film to understand the context behind the poster.

20. Sajid Khan’s entry in ‘Bigg Boss’

Sajid Khan entered the Bigg Boss house this year and many protested against it. The filmmaker has been accused of sexual harassment during the #MeToo wave in 2018 and those who objected to his presence felt that the channel shouldn’t have given him the platform to whitewash his image.

21. Chetan Bhagat vs Uorfi Javed

Uorfi Javed, known for her provocative outfits, hit back at Chetan Bhagat after the latter urged the youth to focus on their careers and not get distracted by her pictures. She also posted screenshots of his messages that had gone viral during the #MeToo movement in 2018. Chetan Bhagat later clarified that he was quoted out of context.

22. R Madhavan’s twin trolling moments

R Madhavan, while promoting Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, claimed that it was Panchang, the Hindu calendar, which helped ISRO launch a rocket into space. The netizens trolled him for this comment and a few days later, he again got targeted when he made a false claim that only 25 lakh Indians are on Twitter.

Also Read: #2022Recap: 9 Trends of 2022 we are FED UP of and don’t want to see in 2023