Updated 17:01 IST, December 17th 2024
2024 Bollywood Controversies: Kangana Slapgate, Poonam Pandey Death Stunt, Stree 2 Credit War
Biggest Controversies of 2024: From unexpected divorces, credit wars to plagiarism rows, the year saw biggest celebrities making headlines for all wrong reasons

Biggest Controversies of 2024: Just like all other years, this time too some of the biggest Bollywood A-listers were engulfed in major controversies. From credit wars to plagiarism charges, while some episodes were a repeat of history, others came as a shocker to all those in the audience. Take a look back at the biggest incidents that made headlines in 2024, for all the wrong reasons.
The death and resurrection of Poonam Pandey

2024 started with one of the most bizarre controversies. On February 2, a post on her Instagram handle read that she had died at 32 from cervical cancer. This prompted a flurry of reactions on social media, with some expressing their doubt over the authenticity of the news. A few days later, the actress held a live session announcing that she was alive and well. Poonam shared that the stunt was a way for her to spread awareness about cervical cancer, a common disease affecting women globally.
Sharmin Segal subjected to trolls post Heeramandi release

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's directorial maiden web series Heeramandi received largely positive reviews, barring the massive criticism of his niece Sharmin Segal's performance. The actress played the role of Alamzeb in the show and was criticised heavily for her monotonous acting and lack of expressions. As a result, she even disabled the comment section on her social media to be away from trolls. The incident once again raised the 'nepotism' flag with social media users alleging that she was a part of the series only because of her relation with Bhansali.
Kangana Ranaut slapped by a CSIF officer
Kangana Ranaut and controversies are known to go hand-in-hand. On June 6, Newly elected MP and actor Kangana Ranaut was slapped by a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) constable at Chandigarh airport, allegedly due to "disrespecting farmers." The constable involved in the incident was identified as Kulwinder Kaur. The Queen actress had reacted to the incident by sharing a video on social media. In a video statement titled "Shocking rise in terror and violence in Punjab" posted on X after she landed in Delhi, the actress said she was safe and fine.
Recapping in detail what had happened, Kangana said she had been getting a lot of calls from the media and her well-wishers. The constable, she said, came towards her from the side. "She hit me in the face and started abusing me. I asked her why she did it and she said she supports the farmer protests." "I am safe but my concern is that terrorism is increasing in Punjab... How do we handle that?" The officer in the wrong was consequentially suspended.
Pooja Entertainment Vs Bade Miyan Chote Miyan cast and crew
Amid all other controversies was one serious case of non-payment of dues and financial fraud. Vashu Bhagani-led Pooja Entertainment came under fire when several cast and crew members from their latest releases alleged that the production house is yet to pay them their dues. The row snowballed into a legal affair with both the production house and the alleged victims knocking doors of court.

In the most latest update, director Ali Abbas Zafar moved to court alleging non-payment. In retaliation, Vashu Bhagnani filed a cheating and fraud case against the director.
Raveena Tandon mob assault
In June a video of Raveena Tandon getting involved in a heated road rage incident. The actress and her driver were allegedly attacked by a mob in Mumbai amid rash driving claims against the driver. A viral video shows a group of locals accusing Raveena and her driver of assaulting three women. The incident went down near her residence at Mumbai’s Carter Road, near Rizvi College.
On June 6, days after the road rage incident, Raveena Tandon took to her Instagram account to pen a note on the road rage incident. The actress expressed gratitude to her fans and followers who stood by her in the tough times. Raveena shared, “Thank you for the overwhelming love, belief and support! Moral of the story? Get dashcams and cctvs now!” She implied that since there was CCTV evidence of the actress being innocent she was able to prove what actually transpired in the situation."
Abhishek Bachchan -Aishwarya Rai divorce rumours

One of the biggest shockers of the year revolved around the Bachchan family. Rumours have been rife about a rift in Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan's marriage. The rumours began when Aishwarya Rai arrived with her daughter Aradhya Bachchan at the pre-wedding functions of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, while the other members of the Bachchan clan posed together. Since then, the couple has made only sporadic joint appearances.
Stree 2 credit war
Even though the Shraddha Kapoor-Rajkummar Rao starrer became the highest-grossing Hindi film ever, it was not without its fair share of controversies. Before Stree 2 release, social media narrative had started to emerge, with phrases like "woh stree hai, woh kuch bhi kar sakti hai" often featuring in the comments sections in related posts. Automatically, 'Stree' was being associated with Shraddha Kapoor. following the film's release, cine-goers argued that the actress remained largely missing in the first part of the movie.

This started a discussion on who is really behind the success of the film - Shraddha, who holds the titular character or Rajkummar Rao who did the major heavy lifting. This too, was connected to the insider vs outsider debate with netizens claiming that Shraddha is hogging Kumar's moment.
Kangana's Emergency release delay

Emergency was initially slated for a September 6 release. It got embroiled in a battle with the censor board for the non-issuance of a certificate for its release. Kangana Ranaut, who has directed and co-produced the film besides playing the lead role of former prime minister, late Indira Gandhi, had accused the CBFC of stalling certification to delay the release. The biographical drama is caught up in controversy after some Sikh organisations including the Shiromani Akali Dal objected, accusing it of misrepresenting the community and getting historical facts wrong. The movie is now slated for release on January 25.
Plagiarism and nepotism charges plagued Alia Bhatt 's Jigra
Another headline-worthy moment happened before the release of Alia Bhatt and Vedang Raina's Jigra. On October 12, a day after the release of Jigra, Divya Khosla Kumar, married to the T-Series Chairman Bhushan Kumar, took to her Instagram Stories and dropped a note for the Alia Bhatt starrer. The actress shared that she had gone to watch a film in a theatre which was “totally empty”. Divya added that Alia Bhatt announced a fake collection of her film after buying tickets for the shows herself. Her post came amid reports of Jigra being a copy of Divya starrer Savi.

The film was released on the big screens in Dusshera, but couldn't manage to attract the audience to the theatres. On one hand, netizens claimed that theatres were running empty, on the other, makers claimed that the movie was successful. This led to speculations that makers are resorting to "self-bookings" to maintain the "success" image. This practice is also called "corporate bookings".
Apart from corporate booking, the makers were also accused of practising nepotism. A goof-up by the director Vasan Bala in an interview revealed that the producer of the film offered it to Alia Bhatt without first consulting with him. This raised issues about Alia Bhatt backing the role only because of nepotism.
Vikrant Massey's sketchy retirement announcement
One of the most recent controversies was centred around the 12th Fail star Vikrant Massey. In the wee hours of December 2, the actor took to his social media account to announce a brief break from films. His statement was widely circulated as a retirement announcement. Vikrant clarified his stance by issuing another statement that read, “My post has been misinterpreted that I am quitting or retiring from acting. I want to take some time off to focus on my family and health. I will be back when the time feels right (sic)”.
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Published 16:48 IST, December 17th 2024