/> Shah Rukh-Salman Ki Ladaai:
It was like the Mahabharat-remixed. Two towering superstars exchanging heated words and almost coming to blows at the poor embarrassed Katrina Kaif's birthday party, in full view of the entire film industry.

The next morning Mumbai was buzzing with details about the biggest Bollywood fight of 2008. Stars were personally calling up scribes to give inside information. Salman and Shah Rukh's friends began to plan their wardrobe for Katrina's next birthday ....er, bash.

Now Katrina is dreading her next birthday. Her boyfriend always makes the occasion more explosive than she cares to make it.

The year started with an eye-brow raising issue. Should Hrithik Roshan be pulled up by environmentalists for riding an elephant?

But since the creature seemed happy enough in the hero's company focus shifted from animal welfare to protection of history. Sigh ! When it comes being a celebrity you just can't win the battle for selfpreservation. Here's looking at the major controversies of 2008.

Jodhaa Ache-Bar:
Just when Ashutosh Gowariker's massive costume drama was on release, a section of irate people (who hadn't seen the film) tried to stall the film's release (to ensure nobody sees it).

They claimed Rani Jodhaa was never married to Emperor Akbar. If they weren't then Prince Salim had a lot to be answerable for in school.

Fortunately there was no controversy about the fact that the celluloid Jodhaa Aishwarya Rai was married in real life to Abhishek Bachchan and yet formed a fabulous pair with Hrithik Rosshan in Dhoom 2, Jodhaa-Akbar and now in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's next. Go figure

Dil Hai Ki Maanyata Nahin:
Marriage, it's being said, has done Sanjay Dutt a lot of good. While his physique has gone slimmer his bank balance has grown a lot fatter, thanks to the opportunistic 'friends' who have been asked to take a long walk.

The marriage, however, happened under a cloud of controversies with Dutt's darling sisters and even his trans-Atlantic daughter seeing no reason behind the shaadi. To top it all over and above the unsavoury parivarik bickering we had individuals making legal claims on Mrs Dutt's marital status.

Lekin yeh shaadi nahin 'kho' sakti. Dutt's friends say this marriage is for keeps.

Harman-Hrithik-Imran....
Yeh Chakkar Kya Hai???? : First Harman kept insisting he was no Hrithik clone. And yet continued to do all the things Hrithik did in the beginning of his career, like assist his dad, act in a special-effects driven film, etc.

Harman spoke, walked and looked like Hrithik. But insisted hum aaapke hain no clone Then Harman's camp claimed Imran Khan's powerful Mamu was out to destroy his debut film. By the time Love Story 2050 and Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na hit the theatres on the same Friday it all seemed like a sad and bad case of a persecution complex.

Dude, the junta just didn't like your picture-show.Period.

Ramu: Wah Taj! :
There are many theories about why Ram Gopal Varma decided to saunter into the devastated Taj hotel.

While many think the director was being snoopy and insensitive a minority feels he had no clue about what had happened inside and strolled in for coffee with his actor Riteish Deshmukh. Once inside Ramu realized he had put his foot in the mouth of a controversy. Hota hai.

Another theory doing the rounds is that Ramu actually ordered his driver to drop him at Raj (as in Thackeray) to discuss Sarkar 3. The driver misheard.

Jaya Versus Raj Thackeray:
A chance remark at the Drona music function triggered off a chain reaction from Maharashtra's most anti-North Indian politician. It was not clear what Raj Saab wanted. An apology from Jaya? Or visa and passport facilities for non –Maharashtrians? In any case Drona gave every much reason for rona-dhona.