The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Top Moments That Defined Bollywood In 2021

Top Bollywood moments this year: If 2020 was the ultimate year of grief for the Hindi film industry, which lost a string of stars, 2021 was the year of controversy. From drugs to porn to sexism, a lot came to the fore and the audience made sure to hold Bollywood accountable for it. But this was also a definitive year for good things brewing behind the screens, from actors finding love to advocating for love.

In a year that has left us with bitter memories for a lifetime - with thousands having lost loved ones to the dreadful COVID-19 - Bollywood was a sphere many turned to, as they always have, for something more fantastic than their own realities. 2021 was a crockpot of significant discussions, debates, exchanges, discourse that shaped the path Bollywood will tread here on out.

Highlights: Top Bollywood Moments From 2021

1. Aryan Khan drugs case 

Perhaps the most explosive Bollywood story of the year, the son of India's biggest superstar found himself in the midst of a drugs case. Aryan Khan was arrested in October and spent around three weeks in police detention in Mumbai after he was involved in a cruise party headed to Goa that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) intercepted for drugs. Actor Ananya Panday's name came up in the mix too.

After multiple bail appeals were turned down, Khan's case was fought by senior lawyer Mukul Rohatgi before the Bombay High Court, which granted him a release. While Khan's parents and celebrity couple Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan refrained from making public statements on the case, several from the film industry rallied in solidarity behind the 24-year-old.

2. Ageism debate 

Bollywood is infamous for prizing its male actors as ageless demigods and female actors as replaceable ornaments. 2021 will go down in history as the year that finally started strong debates on this &t=3s">sexist issue that has glared us in the face forever. While on-screen couples with wide age gaps was not an issue for some from the audience, many on social media remarked that it was a concern that should unsettle us, or in the very least, make us cringe.

Cases in point: Akshay Kumar and Govinda. Both actors, masters of their craft, returned to screens coupled with women far younger than them in age. While Kumar reprised his role in the iconic Tip Tip Barsa song for Sooryavanshi, his original partner Raveena Tandon was replaced by Katrina Kaif. Govinda, meanwhile, starred in the song Chashma Chadha Ke, alongside the much junior Shanaya Kaur.

3. Raj Kundra porn case 

Another knot of major controversy this year was the Raj Kundra case, in which the businessman, who is also actor Shilpa Shetty's husband, was named in a high-profile case of illegal pornography production. Kundra was arrested by Mumbai police on July 19 after a months-long investigation that probed the distribution of adult content across different media channels. The Hotshots app that came to the front was reported to be backed by a company linked to Kundra. Everything on the case here.

Shetty, meanwhile, who came to the spotlight following her husband's implication, reportedly told the police she was unaware of Kundra's alleged illegal operations. Police said they did not find any active role on Shetty's part in the porn case. Several other women, including models Sherlyn Chopra and Poonam Pandey, came forward with accusations against Kundra during the case coverage.

Suggested Reading: Kusu Kusu Song: Bollywood Is Back With A Regressive Bang As Theatres Open

4. Bollywood weddings 

In a spot of fairytale love to conclude the year on a good note, actors Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif came together to tie the knot in December. While the wedding had drummed up nationwide excitement, the couple decided on keeping their D-Day and its related events largely under wraps. In a lavish ceremony, the two got married in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, sharing snaps from their big day on social media in the days that followed. The high-profile wedding was rife with rumours and speculation in the run-up to when Kaif and Kaushal, finally, gave official confirmation on their status by sharing photos from the ceremony.

Another wedding, radically opposite the Kaif-Kaushal one in terms of extravagance, that left fans gushing was that of Yami Gautam and Aditya Dhar. The film duo tied the knot in a simple ceremony within a close-knit circle that reminded people of homely weddings they see in their own families. The film industry too was all praises for Gautam, who kept it real on her big day.

5. Jacqueline Fernandez's conman connection  

At the fag end of the year, actor Jacqueline Fernandez came under the scanner in a big way when her name cropped up in connection to conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar's case of cheating and financial fraud. The actor was issued several summons by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the ongoing investigation and is reported to have been at the receiving end of expensive gifts worth around ten crore rupees from Chandrashekhar.

As per reports, Chandrashekhar posed as an influential figure when he contacted Fernandez in early 2021, identifying himself as a relative of former Tamil Nadu minister Jayalalithaa. He showered Fernandez and her family with luxury presents. He has reportedly maintained similar connections with actors from Bollywood besides Fernandez, including Nora Fatehi.

Suggested Reading: Actors Should Talk More About Girl Bonding To Break The “banti nahi hai” Myth: Divya Dutta

6. Actors promoting body positivity 

Amid the Bollywood noise of appearance upkeep and false beauty standards, a few actors turned up the music on what it means to truly embrace your natural, scarred, greying selves. Sameera Reddy may have taken a back seat on films but on the front of promoting healthy beauty standards, she's an icon to look up to. Through the year on social media, she shone a spotlight on aspects of ageing people in showbiz refrain from talking about: grey hair and stretch marks.

In an &t=32s">interview with &t=32s">SheThePeople, actor Vidya Balan took the lead in talking candidly about body-shaming and the kind of consequences, vis-a-vis low self-esteem and confidence, that kind of conversation brings about. The younger crop of aspiring actors and influencers, which included celebrity kids Suhana Khan, Babil Khan, Aaliyah Kashyap, Ira Khan and Navya Nanda, too challenged existing norms of society's perspective towards slut-shaming, colourism, sexism and mental health.

7. Spotlight on casteism 

Actors of film and television were pulled up - and how! - by netizens in a big way this year for casteist utterances that outraged the identity of India's oppressed communities. It was a period of reckoning for celebrities who were told by social media that their high status does not shield them from accountability.

While for some like actor Randeep Hooda, who once poked fun at politician Mayawati, old videos came back to haunt, for others like actors Munmun Dutta and Yuvika Chaudhary, who used caste slurs on camera, liability came almost immediately. The lone standing mainstream Hindi film Geeli Pucchi directed by Neeraj Ghaywan and starring &t=231s">Konkona Sensharma and Aditi Rao Hydari furthered the caste discourse at the intersection of same-sex relationships, a theme largely ignored in Bollywood.