2022 was a year of very less highs and a major of lows for Bollywood. Right from the majority of the films not working at the box office, to the actors landing in trouble and films being called for boycott, we witnessed a few controversies that sparked massive outrage on and off social media. So before we step into the New Year 2023, we bring you the list of the biggest controversies of 2022 that not only grabbed drew our attention but also made headlines like never before.
With this year already being terms as ‘disastrous’ with the box office failure of Bollywood films like Laal Singh Chaddha, Bachchhan Paandey, Raksha Bandhan, Shamshera and others, we only hope to see happier days in next year.
So here’s the list of controversies surrounding the Indian film industry that made headlines in 2022 Without further ado let’s get started. Shall we?
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Boycott Trend: One of the biggest things that we saw Bollywood films being surrounded by was the Boycott trend or the cancel culture. The trend has been there for some time, but it only changed its gears this time that too before the release of big Bollywood releases like Laal Singh Chaddha and Brahmastra. Aamir Khan, who was returning to the theatres after a long gap, along with Kareena Kapoor Khan faced the heat when netizens called for a film boycott for different reasons. While LSC turned out to be the box office dud, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt starrer was a box office hit despite being called for a boycott. The film faced massive criticism so much so that the leading actor and director Ayan Mukerji were even denied entry to the Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain. Another film that was also subjected to the Boycott trend was Akshay Kumar starrer Raksha Bandhan and Liger.
Pathaan: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham starrer has already landed in the legal soup even before its release. The Siddharth Anand directorial which is slated to hit the screens on January 25, was subjected to criticism after makers dropped its first song, Besharam Rang. It all happened when Madhya Pradesh Minister raised objection over DP’s saffron-coloured bikini and said it “has been shot with a dirty mindset.” Earlier, a complaint seeking FIR against Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone was filed for hurting religious sentiments. Meanwhile, much before this controversy erupted it has already been called for a boycott by the netizens.
The Kashmir Files: Helmed by Vivek Agnihotri, the film stars Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Mithun Chakraborty, Darshan Kumaar and others in pivotal roles. The film, which is based on the real-life exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley, has been mired in controversies ever since its first rushes were dropped online. It was the only film to have worked at the box office till Kartik Aaryan’s Bhool Bhualiyaa 2 arrived and took over all the box office records created by TKF. However, it recently sparked massive controversy after IFFI Jury Nadav Lapid called it a ‘vulgar’ and ‘propaganda’ film. He had told Indian Express, “While watching it (The Kashmir Files), I found the movie to be a cheap, vulgar, and propaganda movie. I am not against controversial movies. I like the idea when movies go to the extreme.” However, Lapid soon apologised for his comment.
Pic 1/2: Cause
Pic 3/4: EffectIn less than a week, after Islamist terrorists were given ideological support openly from GOI’s platform #IFFI2022, The Resistance Front (a front of LeT) has issued a list of Kashmiri Hindus to be targeted by its terrorists.
Pl save this tweet. pic.twitter.com/syFTkuKEix— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) December 5, 2022
Adipurush: Led by Prabhas, Saif Ali Khan and Kriti Sanon, the film sparked massive outrage and received huge criticism when its official trailer was dropped online. Netizens slammed the makers for making the character of Lord Ram, Raavan and Sita look so caricature-ish. Directed by Om Raut, the makers were also called out for showing Raavan sporting a heavy beard while tampering with the history. However, after taking note of the criticism, the makers decided to make the desired changes and pushed its release date from January 2023 to June 16, 2023.
North Vs South Debate: Bollywood not only faced a tough year at the box office but was compared to South film Industry for its content. Well, North vs South became one of the most-talked-about debates in 2022 after we witnessed a few South films like KGF 2, Pushpa, Kantara and RRR among others turning out to be blockbusters. Time and again we saw many celebrities including Salman Khan, Yami Gautam, Tiger Shroff, Anupam Kher and others addressing the same. R Madhavan who has worked in both industries had told India Today, “I think too much of hue and cry is happening. There are three films – RRR, KGF 2 and Pushpa – that did really well. The rest have managed to do a fair job. There are other films (The Kashmir Files and Bhool Bhulaiyaa) in Hindi that have done well. I think people’s acceptance has broadened because of the pandemic. They accept films that they like and reject those they don’t. That’s always going to be there.”
Ranveer Singh N*de Magazine Photo Shoot: The actor landed himself in major trouble when she showed his ‘Befikre’ side and dropped photos from his n*de photo shoot. The actor bared it all for Paper Magazine and received massive love for showing his style of self-love and body positivity. However, it soon erupted into a controversy so much so that an FIR was filed against him for breaking obscenity laws. After being summoned by the Mumbai police, he had reacted to one of the viral photos that showed his private parts and told them that the pic was “morphed and not a part of the photoshoot.”
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Ajay Devgn vs Kichcha Sudeep National Language: Two leading men from South and Bollywood locked horns and started a debate when the Makkhi actor said “Hindi is no more a national language” amid the success of South films across India. Irked with the statement, Ajay Devgn was quick to react to it via his Tweet. Tagging Kichcha Sudeep, Ajay Devgn wrote, “KicchaSudeep मेरे भाई, आपके अनुसार अगर हिंदी हमारी राष्ट्रीय भाषा नहीं है तो आप अपनी मातृभाषा की फ़िल्मों को हिंदी में डब करके क्यूँ रिलीज़ करते हैं? हिंदी हमारी मातृभाषा और राष्ट्रीय भाषा थी, है और हमेशा रहेगी। जन गण मन । (@KicchaSudeep my brother, according to you if Hindi is not our national language then why do you release your mother tongue movies by dubbing them in Hindi? Hindi was, is and always will be our mother tongue and national language. Jan Gan Man.” Ajay was later trolled by a section of netizens saying that “Hindi isn’t national but an official language.” The debate went overboard with everyone pitching in and giving their two cents on the same.
.@KicchaSudeep मेरे भाई,
आपके अनुसार अगर हिंदी हमारी राष्ट्रीय भाषा नहीं है तो आप अपनी मातृभाषा की फ़िल्मों को हिंदी में डब करके क्यूँ रिलीज़ करते हैं?
हिंदी हमारी मातृभाषा और राष्ट्रीय भाषा थी, है और हमेशा रहेगी।
जन गण मन ।— Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) April 27, 2022
Well apart from the above-mentioned controversies, there were a few more that grabbed headlines and drew everyone’s attention but soon died down soon. One of it was Lalit Modi declaring his relationship with Sushmita Sen. He had shared a few photos from their vacay together and even changed his Instagram display picture of them together. While Sen maintain her dignified silence, he soon stopped posting and even removed the DP.
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Another one was of #MeToo accused Sajid Khan, who entered Salman Khan’s Bigg Boss 16 house. After his entry, many actresses, who accused the director of se*ual misconduct also reacted to the same.
Well, there were all from our side. Do let us know if we’ve missed out on anything.
Team Koimoi wishes you a very Happy New Year! Stay happy, stay entertained!
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