The year 2023 has ended and we are well and truly into the New Year of 2024. Having said this, we are on the verge of wrapping up our Year-Ender Feature stories for the year 2023. We are here to present the last in our Year-Ender edition, the list of the topmost scoops and controversies that led Bollywood in news throughout the year 2023.
2023 has been a year which has heard a lot of noise for all the controversial statements and incidents surrounding famous names in Bollywood. Saying that we at IWMBuzz are here with the biggest scoops and controversies of the year 2023.
From Deepika Padukone getting shamed in the episode of Koffee with Karan episode, to the questionable dialogues in Adipurush, the certification rift around the Akshay Kumar starrer film OMG2, Bollywood braced it all and had a tough time.
So here we go as we list them out.
Rashmika Mandanna’s DeepFake video:
Rashmika Mandanna, the stunning South actress has recently made her stunning presence in the Ranbir Kapoor starrer Animal for which she has been appreciated. Rashmika, earlier to this, was in the limelight for a very forgettable reason, when a shocking video showed a girl similar to Rashmika entering a lift in a black swimsuit. This unconfirmed video came as a shock to one and all. Rashmika soon expressed her anguish and shock at this video and let her thoughts out in the media circles. This continues to be a big issue as many similar DeepFake videos have been made of other celebrities and noted personalities.
Dialogues in Adipurush:
Om Raut’s mythical drama film Adipurush based on the lines of Ramayana, garnered extremely negative reactions for its unacceptably low dialgoues in the film. This Prabhas and Kriti Sanon film failed miserably at the box office, and the look and unrealistic VFX were talked about. However, the controversy related to the dialogues took to a big high. A few of the questionable dialogues included – Ravana says, “Kapda tere baap ka hai, tel tere baap ka hai, aag bhi tere baap ki, aur jalegi bhi teri Lanka.” Later, the makers were forced to transform the dialogues into more meaningful ones and add them to the film.
Deepika Padukone shamed for comment in Koffee with Karan episode:
Deepika Padukone was the centre of all controversies, courtesy of her episode of Koffee with Karan where she made a staggering revelation. In the Koffee with Karan 8 episode, Deepika and husband Ranveer Singh were seen. Deepika talked about her dating days before getting into a commitment with Ranveer. Deepika’s candid confession about casually dating other people before committing to Ranveer stirred controversy, with social media buzzing with opinions. A lot of celebrities sided with Deepika, but she was trolled big time for her statement.
OMG 2 certification debate:
This Akshay Kumar starrer film dealt on the sensitive issue of sex education. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) issued a ‘A’ certificate to the film. However, many film critics felt that the film deserved to be watched by growing kids, especially because it dealt with an educative subject. To make matters worse, the CBFC released the film after subjecting it to 27 cuts. Akshay Kumar too ended up voicing his opinion of changing the mindset of society through films like this.
Alia Bhatt Lipstick statement:
Alia Bhatt’s casual comment on putting on her lipstick and how in her earlier dating days, Ranbir Kapoor used to ask her to remove her lipstick, as he preferred her with her natural lip colour. However, social media buzzed with reports that Ranbir’s actions reflected excessive control over Alia’s choices. Ranbir was trolled and questioned for preventing Alia from wearing lipstick.
Animal over its glorification of violence and misogyny:
Animal the Sandeep Reddy Vanga film starring Ranbir Kapoor has been appreciated whole-heartedly for its amazing and powerful story telling. However, a section of the crowd and critics, felt that the film glorified male chauvinism, violence in relationships and misogyny. A lot of debate and talk happened over whether people found Animal to be an entertainer or soaked in negativity and bloodshed.
The Kerala Story Forced Religious Conversion Controversy:
The film The Kerala Story was premised on the Hindutva conspiracy theory of love jihad. It claimed that thousands of Hindu women from Kerala had been converted to Islam and recruited by the Islamic State. However, this subject was accused of fuelling Hindu nationalist propaganda.
Deepika Padukone’s Besharam Rang Bikini Controversy:
Besharam Rang featured Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone on a beach in Spain, from the film Pathaan. The party song had Deepika in several attires, but what had drawn the attention of many was one particular bikini, which they alleged was saffron and therefore, offended their religious sentiments. There were calls to remove the song from the film, or change the colour of the costume. However, this did not happen.
Well, these were the most controversial incidents/statements in Bollywood in the year 2023.