From Poonam Pandey, Kangana Ranaut to Allu Arjun, actors and celebrities across industries made headlines for the wrong reasons this year. Some made deliberate attempts to grab attention, while others became a talk of the town at what could have been a highlight of their career.
Here is a list of 10 most talked about controversies in 2024 in showbiz:
1. Allu Arjun and the Sandhya Theatre stampede case: Telugu film star Allu Arjun was arrested in connection with the death of a 35-year-old woman during a promotional event of “Pushpa 2: The Rule” at Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre earlier this month.
While the woman died, her eight-year-old son was seriously injured as fans thronged the theatre to catch a glimpse of the actor, who is currently out on interim bail. The movie, however, has emerged as the biggest hit of the year by earning over Rs 1,700 crore at the box office.
2. Poonam Pandey death hoax: In February, Poonam Pandey’s team dropped the bombshell news of her ‘death’ from cervical cancer, which turned out to be fake news, more like a stunt pulled off by the actor-model in what she later said was a tool to spread awareness about the disease.
Social media users, some celebrities and others unanimously called out Pandey for using a serious issue for a publicity stunt. Her PR agency issued an apology amid widespread criticism.
3. Hema Committee Report: In August, Malayalam cinema was rocked by the revelations of the expansive Justice Hema Committee report, which detailed instances of widespread and persistent harassment and exploitation of women in the industry.
All 17 members of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) executive committee, including its president and senior actor Mohanlal, submitted their resignation amid the growing allegations raised by women against its members.
Multiple FIRs were registered against many high-profile personalities, including actors Siddique, Jayasurya, former chairperson of Kerala State Chalac