The television industry faced multiple setbacks in 2021. Serious charges against celebrities were levelled. The controversies in the television industry left people baffled. Braving challenging storms, celebrities emerged stronger. 

Now, as 2021 is coming to an end, let's take a look at the controversies that shook the television industry. From Pearl V Puri's arrest in the alleged rape of a minor girl on the set of his TV show in 2019, Karan Mehra and Nisha Rawal's legal battle to Shweta Tiwari and Abhinav Kohli's fight for son Reyansh's custody, these controversies made headlines.

Pearl V Puri arrested in an alleged rape case

Popular actor Pearl V Puri went through an ordeal after being accused of raping a minor girl. He was arrested on June 4 and was released on June 15. The father of the minor daughter alleged that Pearl molested and raped the child in 2019 when she paid a visit to his TV show's set with her actress mother. The alleged victim's mother called Pearl innocent and blamed her husband for brainwashing the child. The father of the girl, in a statement, told that she addressed Pearl by the name of his on-screen character-Ragbir while she narrated the entire incident. Prominent members of the entertainment industry, including Ekta Kapoor, Divya Khosla Kumar, Anita Hassanandani and Karishma Tanna, stood by Pearl. Post his bail, there is no further development on the case. 

Trouble in Karan Mehra and Nisha Rawal's paradise

There were reports of trouble in Karan Mehra and Nisha Rawal's paradise. But the couple dismissed them, initially. However, in June, it was confirmed that Karan and Nisha are no longer on good terms. The actress filed a police complaint against her actor-husband and accused him of domestic violence. Nisha claimed that Karan verbally and physically abused her and also pushed her against the wall.

Nisha called for a press conference on June 1 and said that Karan is having an extramarital affair with his co-star. Sharing details of what happened on the night of the assault, she claimed that Karan sold her wedding jewellery too. She admitted that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder a few years ago. Amid this, people felt Karan was in a relationship with his Mawaan Thandiyan Chawan co-star Himanshi Parashar.

Hitting back at Nisha's claim of having an extra-marital affair, Karan said in a statement that he didn't cheat on her. The case took an ugly turn when Karan said Nisha switched off the CCTV cameras installed at home. He further accused her of physical abuse and making him feel suicidal. On June 25, Nisha filed a new case against Karan's family members - Ajay Mehra, Bela Mehra and Kunal Mehra for violence and exploitation. She alleged that Karan had withdrawn more than Rs 1 crore from her bank account. In September, the Mehras were granted anticipatory bail. 

The case took a different twist when Karan, in October, told an entertainment portal that Nisha was in an extra-marital relationship from 2015 to 2016. He reacted to Nisha's statement that she doesn't want any alimony from him and said she is using social media to damage his image. Karan revealed that she has asked for a huge amount of alimony from him for their son Kavish's upbringing. The Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai actor also said that he feels Kavish is not safe with Nisha. 

Shweta Tiwari and Abhinav Kohli's legal battle for son Reyansh's custody

Shweta Tiwari and Abhinav Kohli are no longer together but their legal battle is far from over. They tied the knot in 2013 and what looked like a happy paradise, turned hell when trouble penetrated into their marriage after the birth of their son Reyansh in 2016. The public spat for the custody of Reyansh got a rebirth when Shweta left for Cape Town for Khatron Ke Khiladi 11 shoot without informing Abhinav. He lashed out at her and accused her of leaving Reyansh in a hotel room. Shweta clarified that the child is with her mother and daughter Palak Tiwari. 

The matter didn't end here. Calling himself the 'natural guardian' of Reyansh, Abhinav claimed that he should ideally be with him in his mother's absence. He accused the actress of "illegally detaining" the child at an undisclosed location. Shweta, who was in Cape Town, shared a video hitting back at Abhinav's claims. In the video, Abhinav physically abused Shweta and Reyansh while they were taking a walk in their building's compound. Reyansh was shocked after that incident and Palak tried to coax him.

In July, Abhinav moved the court and wanted her interim bail to be cancelled for leaving the country without informing. Months later, the Bombay High Court retained Reyansh's custody with the actress and also permitted Abhinav to meet his child on weekends for 2 hours and talk to him video call daily for 30 minutes.

FIRs against Munmun Dutta and Yuvika Chaudhary for using a casteist slur in their vlogs

In May this year,Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah actress Munmun Dutta landed in legal trouble for using a casteist slur in a now-deleted video on YouTube. Munmun, who is known to play the character of Babita in the show, made use of an objectionable word but apologised immediately on learning its meaning. In a statement, the actress stated she was not aware of the meaning of the word and clarified that she never said it with the intent to insult, intimidate, humiliate or hurt anyone's feelings.

Despite this, Munmun was booked under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. FIRs were filed against her in Mumbai, Haryana, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Granting relief to the actress, the Supreme Court stayed criminal proceedings against her in June. Amid this, there were rumours of Munmun quitting Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. She denied them and now, she is seen on the show regularly. 

Days after this incident, Yuvika Chaudhary was also booked for hurting the sentiments of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes by using the same casteist slur as Munmun in a vlog. The video also featured her husband, Prince Narula. When she received criticism for using the objectionable term, Yuvika issued an apology. She said it was unintentional and she used it without knowing its meaning. The actress was booked by the Haryana Police. In October, Yuvika was arrested under SC/ST Act and was granted interim bail. 

Indian Idol 12- Amit Kumar episode

The Kishore Kumar special episode of Indian Idol 12 was one of the most awaited episodes. Amit Kumar, the son of the legendary singer, was called in as the guest. The contestants were all set to wow him. However, things didn't go as planned. Amit, a singer himself, showered praise on the participants on the show. But, post the episode, he gave an interview expressing displeasure. The singer said the participants weren't up to the mark and left him disappointed. Amit further claimed that the makers of Indian Idol 12 had asked him to praise the contestants. 

After the explosive statement, the credibility of Indian Idol 12 and other singing reality shows was questioned. Judges Neha Kakkar and Himesh Reshammiya were slammed for singing Kishore Kumar songs badly. One of the contestants, Shanmukhapriya, also faced the heat for ruining classics.