In 2024, one shocking incident after another came to light in the Bollywood industry. From Allu Arjun’s arrest to Poonam Pandey’s fake death and Kangana Ranaut being slapped by a CISF officer, all these incidents remained in the headlines of the year. Let’s take a look at these incidents: Allu Arjun’s arrest After the success of ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’, a trouble came for Allu Arjun. On December 4, a ruckus broke out due to the huge crowd at the Sandhya Theater in Hyderabad, leading to the tragic death of a woman. The woman’s family alleged that the accident happened due to Allu Arjun’s arrival at the theater, as people were excited for the actor at that time. After this, a political controversy also arose in this matter, when the opposition alleged that the Telangana government was deliberately targeting Allu Arjun. However, the Telangana High Court granted interim bail to the actor. He was released after spending a night in jail. The matter got heated up in the film industry as well as politics. Threats to Salman and Shah Rukh Khan In April, there was a shootout outside Salman Khan’s house when two bikers fired four rounds and then fled. Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi took responsibility for the incident and revealed that he had hired a contract killer of Rs 20 lakh to kill Salman. Salman’s close friend Baba Siddiqui was murdered outside his office. This murder was also carried out by the Bishnoi gang. Salman and Shah Rukh Khan needed to increase security after these threats. The police arrested the person who threatened them from Uttar Pradesh. Apart from this, Shah Rukh Khan received death threats in November. After these threats, the security of Salman and Shah Rukh Khan was tightened. Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan’s divorce rumors The divorce rumors of Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan intensified when both of them arrived separately at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding. This led to speculation that there is some problem in their relationship. However, both of them arrived together at a big event and dismissed these rumors. Kangana Ranaut slapped by CISF officer On June 6, Kangana Ranaut was slapped by a CISF constable at Chandigarh airport. This incident happened when Kangana was accused of making some objectionable remarks against the farmers, which started this controversy. The name of the constable who slapped was Kulwinder Kaur. After this incident, Kangana’s security was further increased. Nayanthara v/s Dhanush The controversy between Nayanthara and Dhanush arose when Nayanthara alleged that Dhanush did not allow the use of footage of his film ‘Naanum Rowdy Dhaan’. Nayanthara said that she had personal differences with Dhanush, so she refused to use the footage. After this, Dhanush’s team took legal action against Nayanthara, as Nayanthara had used the footage without permission. This controversy became a topic of discussion in the South film industry. A. R. Rahman’s divorce Famous music composer of the music world A. R. Rahman announced his separation from his wife Saira Banu after 29 years of married life. The news spread rapidly on social media and created a stir among his fans and the media. Shortly after, Rahman’s bassist Mohini Dey also announced her divorce on the same day. Mohini stood up against the trolls, saying that Rahman is like a father to her. Arshad Warsi’s comment on Prabhas Arshad Warsi’s ‘Joker’ comment on Prabhas created a controversy. Prabhas’ fans took it seriously and found it offensive. Fans from the South Indian film industry protested against it on social media. However, Warsi later clarified that he was referring to Prabhas’ character and not the actor. Despite this, the comment became a cause of controversy in the industry. Alia Bhatt’s film ‘Jigra’ accused Alia Bhatt’s film ‘Jigra’ was accused of being a copy of Divya Khosla’s film ‘Saavi’. Divya alleged that ‘corporate bookings’ were used to increase the film’s box office figures. Furthermore, Vasant Bala said that Alia was cast without his consultation, leading to allegations of nepotism. After the film’s box office failure, Divya shared pictures of empty theatres on Instagram and accused Alia of falsely claiming success. Poonam Pandey’s Fake Death In February 2024, reports of the death of internet celebrity Poonam Pandey broke, stating that she died of cervical cancer. Her social media manager also confirmed the news. A few days later, it was revealed that it was just a marketing trick aimed at spreading awareness about cervical cancer. While the intention was appreciated by some, the method was heavily criticised. Vikrant Massey’s ‘Retirement’ Post Vikrant Massey recently posted a social media post in which he talked about meeting his audience for the last time in 2025. The post sparked rumours of his retirement. However, Vikrant later clarified in an interview that he was misunderstood. He said that he is just taking a break from acting and has no intention of retiring. Hema Committee Report on Malayalam Cinema The Hema Committee report on Malayalam cinema highlighted issues of harassment and inequality against women. The report stated that it was very tough for women to work in the industry and that there was a need for improvement. The report brought out the harsh reality of discrimination and abuse, which called for change in the industry. Following the report, a deep debate began in the cinema industry.
