At the end of the year, it’s time to recap the biggest controversies and gossip that dominated the Indian television industry. From Aditya Narayan ramming his car into an auto… to Devoleena Bhattacharya being summoned in a murder case to comedian Siddharth Sagar being kidnapped by his own parents… the year saw a lot of moments that hogged the limelight.
Take a look!
Aditya Narayan’s rash driving
In March of this year, playback singer Udit Narayan’s son Aditya was detained for allegedly ramming his high-end car into an autorickshaw in suburban Andheri, leaving two persons injured…
Based on the statement of one of the victims, the Versova police registered a complaint against the actor-singer under sections 279 and 338 of the IPC; and relevant sections of the Motor Vehicle Act.
Anu Malik and Alok Nath part of #Metoo!!!
In the wake of the #MeToo allegations, music composer Anu Malik was accused of alleged sexual misconduct by Shweta Pandit. (Allegations from other ladies also followed this.) Thanks to this allegation, Malik had to step down from the judges’ panel of the music reality show, Indian Idol Season 10.
Vinta Nanda, known writer-producer of the 1990s show Tara, accused actor Alok Nath – known for his ‘sanskaari’ on-screen image – of sexually violating her almost two decades ago. That too, by supposedly tampering with her drink in what seemed like a pre-meditated move…While Alok categorically denied this allegation, other actresses popped up to accuse him of bad behavior; including Renuka Shahane, Sandhya Mridul and Himani Shivpuri. Vinta Nanda lodged a formal complaint against Nath on October 17, following which, he has reportedly gone missing!
Anup Jalota and Jasleen Matharu left people gaping!
The 12th season of the reality show Bigg Boss failed to impress the audience. But the show managed to garner attention in the initial days when the 65-year-old bhajan singer Anup Jalota revealed that he was in a relationship with 26-year-old Jasleen Matharu! He later backtracked when out of the house saying that Jasleen was only his student… Well, Jasleen wasn’t going to take the rap for this and denied her relationship with him as well!
Armaan Kohli arrested THRICE
Armaan Kohli of film and later Bigg Boss fame was arrested not once or twice but thrice this year!! Mid-June, the actor was arrested by the Mumbai police for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend Neeru Randhawa. Six months later, he was arrested again for allegedly abusing a fashion designer. And just a few days ago, he was seized by the police for possessing 41 bottles of scotch which is against Indian law!
After securing bail, Armaan told a leading daily, “I have secured bail for a bond of `20,000. I returned from Dubai on Tuesday and, along with six friends, bought 12 bottles of whisky from duty free, as I was planning to host a party a few days later. I have the required liquor permit and duty-free license. Unlike what has been claimed, I just had around 40 bottles, of which 19 were unopened. I spent the night at the Bandra excise office. I appeared before the court on Friday around 11.30 am and was granted bail on the basis of the proof I produced.”
He concluded by saying, “Clearly, someone is after my life and wants to tarnish my image.”
CID off-air after 21 years
The popular thriller series C.I.D (Crime Investigation Department) finally went off air after a successful run of over 21 years. This show, which aired its first episode on January 21, 1997, aired its last episode on October 27, 2018. Apparently, all was not well between the channel and the producer of the show, which led to this big and surprising development.
While talking to us, Dayanand Shetty who played the role of cop Daya said, “I am shocked because we had such a great fan following who have been supportive throughout all these years. Everything was going so smoothly and all of a sudden they had some issue with the channel and that is how this big development happened. No one can do anything now. Though I am not sure whether we will come back or not but honestly, all the people associated with CID, whether it’s the actors or behind-the-camera team… everybody is going to miss working with each other. It won’t be easy for anyone to say goodbye.”
Devoleena Bhattacharjee summoned…
Not too long ago, TV actress Devoleena popularly known as Gopi bahu from the serial Saath Nibhana Saathiya was summoned by the Mumbai police for interrogation regarding businessman Rajshwar Udani's murder case. Bhattacharya's name cropped up in the probe after her phone number was discovered in Udani's call list.
The actress, however, has denied her involvement in the murder case. Her advocate issued a statement denying the arrest reports. "Some media houses have published a false story that in the said case my client has been arrested without verifying the facts and its authenticity which has not only tarnished her (Devoleena Bhattacharjee) image and caused humiliation to her but it has caused a Hindrance and Prejudice in the entire case because of the inappropriate media reports," the statement read.
Abrupt ends to TV shows!!!
A few TV shows which were slated to be bombs, ended up being damp squibs and could not sustain! These included Bitti Businesswali, Dil Hi To Hai, Mariam Khan Reporting Live, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Ikyaawan, Haasil, Dil Sambhal Jaa Zara and Dil Dhoondta Hai. Launched on grand scales, most of these met with an abrupt end due to low TRPs.
Jannat Zubair Rahmani refused to kiss on screen!
The makers of the serial Tu Aashiqui wanted their 16-year-old lead actress Jannat Zubair Rahmani to kiss her co-star Ritvik Arora. However, the actress put her foot down since the makers had not mentioned any kissing clause in her contract. This created such a controversy that the makers even started to search for another actress to replace Jannat. Unfortunately, they did not manage to get a known personality so they decided to retain Jannat in the show!
The Juhi-Sachin divorce
Popular TV couple Juhi Parmar and Sachin Shroff finally parted ways after eight years of marriage. While their divorce came as a shock to everyone, what followed was equally shocking! The couple blamed each other for the separation.
In an interview, Sachin stated that Juhi had never loved him and that it was a one-sided relationship. On the other hand, in an open letter, Juhi blamed him, saying that there were times when Sachin was not home at all and that she was used to not seeing him around.
Kapil Sharma axed after just three episodes!
In April 2018, comedian Kapil Sharma had made his comeback on TV with the show titled – Family Time with Kapil. Unfortunately, history repeated itself when he started to cancel shoots, leaving the showrunners with no choice but to pull out the show after airing just three episodes.
It was reported that Kapil also suffered from depression and alcoholism, which contributed to the last minute cancellation of his shows.
Kapil Sharma FINALLY married Ginni!
Kapil Sharma's wedding ceremonies over Jalandhar and Amritsar grabbed a lot of attention. But perhaps the happiest was his bride Ginni Chatrath, who had stuck by him through thick and thin! Their wedding was among the many celebrity weddings that stirred interest amongst his fans. Newlyweds Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, tennis star Saina Nehwal, Sharma's colleagues, including Bharti Singh, Sumona Chakravarti, Krushna Abhishek and Kashmera, as well as known television actors Jay Bhanushali and Mahhi Vij were present at the Mumbai reception. Several Bollywood biggies put in an appearance as well!
Kapil donated all the excess food from his wedding to an NGO, Feeding India, which distributes it to the less privileged in Jalandhar, Amritsar and nearby cities.
The loss of Taarak Mehta… actor Kavi Kumar Azad
Dr. Hansraj Haathi of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chasmah, was a well-loved character on TV… But the actor who popularized this character, Kavi Kumar Azad suddenly suffered a major cardiac arrest on July 9. Azad’s sudden demise left both his fans and colleagues shocked. Azad was cremated on July 10 at the Mira Road Crematorium and most of his co-stars showed their solidarity when they showed up to pay their final respects.
Siddharth Shukla’s accident…
In July of this year, TV actor Sidharth Shukla of Balika Vadhu fame, met with a car accident in Mumbai's Oshiwara area. Reportedly, the actor who was driving his BMW X5 at high speed lost control and rammed into three or four other vehicles!
He was arrested under sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of INR 50) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Later, the actor got bail after paying a penalty of INR 5000.
Comedian Siddharth Sagar’s parents kidnapped him!
In March 2018, comedian Siddharth, popularly known as the Selfie Mausi went missing for a few months until his friends registered a police complaint. He later on made an appearance in front of the media, accusing his mother and family members of mentally harassing and kidnapping him!
He also revealed that his parents gave him bipolar disease drugs by mixing them in his meals. “My parents always thought that I should leave the industry and so they tried their best to keep me away from there. I faced the worst moments of my life in the centre where they used to mercilessly bash me (breaks down). Four-five people used to bash me and I would bleed and lose conscience. I was shattered completely. Somehow, I managed to connect with my managers who pulled me out from there after a month. I thought life would turn to normal but it turned worse. I would have regular fights at home with Suyash and I tried my best to stay away. This was also the time I had filed a NC against them for I really feared for my life and well-being,” Siddharth said in a statement.
Post his return things fell in place for him as he got engaged to fiancée Subuhi Joshi. On the work front, he made a comeback with the comedy show, Comedy Circus Returns.
Singer Papon kisses a minor…
Assamese singer Papon landed in serious trouble after an FB live video of him kissing a minor participant from a music reality show went viral. He was strongly criticized for the objectionable video and later apologized, saying it was just a case of faulty camera angles and an accidental move. The little girl’s father also defended the singer, saying that Papon considers her like a daughter. But the after effects on Papon were not as rosy – he was kicked out of the music reality show.
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