Just like any other year, 2024 has been a rollercoaster ride for Bollywood, and it won’t be wrong to call the industry a full-blown circus. From social media fights to explosive legal battles, Bollywood celebrities surely entertain us beyond the screens as well. From Salman Khan’s feud with Lawrence Bishnoi to Stree 2 credit war, here are the top Bollywood controversies of 2024 that you might have forgotten.
The longstanding feud between Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and gangster Lawrence Bishnoi was one of the biggest controversies of 2024. The tensions hit a new height this year after the Bishnoi gang fired bullets at Khan’s Mumbai residence, leading to an increase in security for the star. The threats remained to continue throughout the year with Bishnoi asking the actor to apologize to his community to be spared. For the unknown, the feud between the gangster and Bollywood actor had stemmed from the blackbuck poaching in 1998.
One of the biggest controversies involving Bollywood celebrities was about the rift in Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan’s marriage. The rumours of trouble in the couple’s relationship began when Aishwarya arrived at the pre-wedding functions of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant with her daughter Aradhya Bachchan, while the entire Bachchan clan was seen posing for the cameras separately. The rumours grew louder after a report stated that Abhishek had cheated on Rai with actress Nimrat Kaur, who was his co-star in Dasvi.
When we talk about controversy, we can’t do away with Kangana Ranaut. July 2024 gave us a shocking Bollywood scandal when the newly elected MP Ranaut was returning to Delhi after her win in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. At the Chandigarh airport, the Queen actress was slapped by a CISF constable identified as Kulwinder Kaur, allegedly due to her derogatory remarks on the farmers. Later, Kangana took to social media to share a video from the incident and stated the constable was supporting the farmers’ protest, and eventually Kaur was suspended.
Another Bollywood celebrity controversy that sent shockwaves across the nation was Shah Rukh Khan receiving death threats. Bandra police station received a threat message targeting SRK over an extortion. The investigation was traced to a cell number of a Chhattisgarh-based advocate named Faizan Khan, who had demanded Rs 50 lakh. As per reports, Faizan had been keeping an eye on SRK and his son Aryan Khan’s day-to-day activity.
Another Bollywood scandal that shook everyone in 2024 was the most bizarre rumour involving Poonam Pandey’s death. In February, a post on Pandey’s Instagram announcing her death due to cervical cancer. While social media erupted with condolences for the internet personality, days later the actress held a live session on IG and revealed that she is alive, claiming it was done to raise awareness around cervical cancer. The PR stunt left many anguished, criticizing Pandey for doing the awareness the wrong way.
One of the most shocking controversies from Bollywood was relating to financial fraud and non-payment of dues between the makers and crew of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. Vashu Bhagani owned Pooja Entertainment, which came under fire when several cast and crew members of the movie alleged that the production house did not pay their salaries, leading the production house and alleged victims to court. The incident exposed the dark side of Bollywood and highlighted the importance of fair pay and transparent accounting practices in the industry.
Bollywood actor Arshad Warsi stirred up one of the biggest controversies in Bollywood with his offhand remark on Tollywood superstar Prabhas’ calling his character in Kalki 2898 AD a Joker.’ The quip didn’t sit well with Prabhas’ fans down South, leading to backlash on social media for Warsi. However, later Arshad clarified that he did not target Prabhas personally but the character he played in Kalki.
Actress Raveena Tandon made headlines for all the wrong reasons, making her way into the list of top Bollywood scandals of 2024 when she got involved in a road rage case near her residence in Mumbai. Locals accused Raveena’s driver of rash driving, allegedly injuring three women. A video that went viral online showed a group of people getting into an altercation with Tandon and her driver and physically assaulting them. The incident happened near her residence at Mumbai’s Carter Road, near Rizvi College. A few months later the actress clarified that CCTV footage proved her innocence and requested her followers to install dashcams.
Stree 2 was a major blockbuster of 2024, but it too got embroiled in a major controversy this year, sparking a heated discussion about who deserved the credit for the film’s success. People accused Shraddha Kapoor of hogging all the limelight for the movie’s success and overshadowing Rajkummar Rao, who did all the heavy lifting. Social media users ignited an insider-outsider debate alleging Kapoor of taking the spotlight despite having limited screen presence in the movie.
Another Bollywood celebrity controversy of 2024 that left many in shock was actor Vikrant Massey announcing his retirement. His post read: “Coming 2025, we would meet each other one last time. I realise its time to recalibrate and go back home.” The post left his fans heartbroken, with many calling out Bollywood for not valuing a versatile actor like him. However, after his post caught fire across websites, Vikrant told News1, “I’m not retiring… Just burned out. Need a long break. Miss home and health is also acting up… People misread it.” After this some interpreted his post to be a publicity stunt.
Alia Bhatt was amongst the top controversial Bollywood actors of 2024 who was accused of plagiarism and nepotism. Firstly, actress-producer Divya Khosla alleged that Bhatt’s Jigra storyline was a rip off of her film Savi and also accused Jigra makers of inflating the box office numbers through “corporate bookings.” Secondly, the makers of Jigra were also accused of practicing nepotism after director Vasan Bala in an interview revealed that producers of the movie cast Alia Bhatt without consulting him, which raised the issue of Bhatt getting roles because of her industry backing.
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