Always expect Bollywood to come up with controversies. It didn't disappoint this year either

Not everyday is hunky-dory in the industry. Nor are those associated with it. Every now and then, there is a ripple -- if not a wave -- of events that are more than just coincidences. And with celebrities being at the centre of attention, it's but obvious that they will be discussed for even the slightest of misconduct. This year too faced many such instances where stars paid a price for their stardom and got noticed for something they wouldn't be proud of.

HitList focuses on a few of the rows and the effect it had on the celebrities concerned...


Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor
Topic: Beach photo leaks from their vacation
Lowdown: Bollywood actors should be grateful that the concept of paparazzi is almost negligible out here. However, film stars are always going to get clicked no matter where they are. Ranbir and Katina were photographed while the rumoured couple was on a holiday in Ibiza. Amusingly enough, Kat later went on an overdrive stating how media has an agenda against her. Really? The way we saw it, celeb relationships are better not kept secret and bikinis, best not mismatched.


Shah Rukh Khan
Topic: Allegations of sex determination test
Lowdown: When the news leaked that Shah Rukh Khan and wife Gauri were having a surrogate baby, the reaction was celebratory. Later, as rumours started doing the rounds that the affable superstar had performed a sex determination test on his unborn child, the mood changed overnight. After much drama, the sensitive topic came to a dignified closure when the court dismissed the case against SRK as the judge concluded that it was short of merit.


Saif Ali Khan
Topic: Storming out of press conference
Lowdown: When the Nawab of Pataudi reached a press meet for Bullett Raja in Delhi four hours late, he wasn't perhaps expecting cacophony. Regardless, that's exactly what was waiting for him. The irritated journalists at the event ensured they expressed their disapproval of his traffic-related delay. To his misfortune, the otherwise well-behaved actor went on record saying he prefers promoting his films in Mumbai compared to the capital city. Ouch.


Mallika Sherawat
Topic: A bizarre interview at Cannes
Lowdown: Quite a lot of B-Town folks went to Cannes Film Festival this year but none of them made a more lasting impression (read noise) than Mallika. In an interview to Vanity Fair, she lambasted the degrading treatment of women in India and how she broke the cinema ceiling by becoming the first Indian actress ever to kiss onscreen. Well, that credit goes to Devika Rani who went there and did that exactly 70 years ago before Mallika's Khwahish even released.

Honey Singh
Topic: Lungi Dance in Chennai Express
Lowdown: During the promotions of the biggest Bollywood blockbuster of the year, musicians Vishal-Shekhar were conspicuous by their absence. Apparently, they didn't like the fact that Yo Yo Honey Singh was roped in to sing the chartbuster track without even consulting them. Besides, the trend of employing more than one musician is in vogue. As expected, the rapper brushed off the controversy saying what mattered was that the song was a runaway hit.


Javed-Salim
Topic: Zanjeer remake rights issue
Lowdown: The writer-duo of the 1973 classic approached the legal system seeking a stay on the release of the remake starring Ram Charan and Priyanka Chopra. Their suit didn't mention the amount that they were seeking as compensation - just that the remake cannot be made without their consent as they hold the copyright of the 'literary work'. In the tussle between the producers and the writers, out-of-court settlement won.


Anurag Kashyap
Topic: The Good Road trumping The Lunchbox for the Oscars
Lowdown: When a hitherto unknown Gujarati film was chosen over Ritesh Batra's The Lunchbox for Oscars, the latter's co-producer took it quite personally. There was a barrage of emotional tweets aimed at the Selection Committee for its failure to `make the right choice` in a dramatic move. So much so that Anurag simply deleted his Twitter account and the otherwise approachable filmmaker has maintained a low profile since.


Deepti Naval
Topic: Actress versus building society
Lowdown: It was supposed to be a routine interview in her home for an upcoming film of hers but it ended up as a fodder for unnecessary scandal. All thanks to exaggeration. Apparently, some members of the housing society at Versova where Naval stayed were dead against letting her conduct an interview within the confines of her own house! They even threatened police complaint if she didn't stop the interview right away.


Maanayata Dutt
Topic: Sanjay Dutt's parole request
Lowdown: The presently interned Sanjay Dutt recently applied for a parole to visit his ailing wife. She is said to have a tumour in her liver and the incarcerated actor expressed a desire to be at her side. However, pictures of hers attending the premiere of Shahid Kapoor's latest R...Rajkumar emerged giving rise to questions like `Is she well enough to travel?` and `Is Sanjay a freelancing prisoner?`.


Adnan Sami
Topic: Visa overdue and tax evasion case
Lowdown: This talented singer-musician, who holds a Canadian passport, waddled from one issue to another. First came the expiry of his visa in the month of October that Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) tried to capitalise on. The political party stated that they were against the renewal of his work permit. If this episode wasn't enough, the service tax department later booked him on charges of tax evasion.


Mona Singh
Topic: Leaking of a private video
Lowdown: Seldom does anything good accompany a leaked MMS. The same was true about the one featuring a naked woman who resembled Mona Singh. Needless to add, it went viral. Throughout the saga, the telly actress maintained that she wasn't in the video clip and has nothing to do with its spread. What's worth noting is her status of relationship with Vidyut Jamwal before and after the leak.


Sadashiv Amrapurkar
Topic: Assaulted for protesting against water wastage
Lowdown: Sadashiv Amrapurkar might be remembered for essaying villainous roles in films, but even his heroics were misconstrued. Some neighbourhood residents in Versova assaulted the veteran actor after he protested against the wastage of water at the ongoing Holi celebrations in the building. When he stopped them, they reminded him that he was on a private property and had no right to lecture them.