Bollywood controversies of 2021: Aryan Khan arrested; Kangana Ranaut dumped by Twitter

Is there such a thing as bad publicity? In the year that went by, perhaps. Bollywood A-listers found themselves at the centre of media storms over everything from drug charges to sex scandals. Will it take a dent out of their popularity though? We’ll have to wait to find out. Here’s a look at who got into what trouble this past year.

Raj Kundra arrested in porn case: Just as Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty was making a comeback in July, her now estranged husband found himself in hot soup. He was accused of porn creation and distribution and hauled to jail over the charges. While Shetty kept mum for a while, she finally came out asking the public to refrain from making judgements and allowing the law to take its course. Raj made bail in September.

Aryan Khan arrested in drugs case: Back in October, Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan was unceremoniously taken to jail after a party that had been busted over a drug suspicion. Narcotics were found, but not on Khan. However, for three weeks the star child languished behind bars as the court decided matters.

Tandav, Saif Ali Khan's Amazon Prime show, was the subject of many FIRs this year, bringing him back into the spotlight. In six states, FIRs were filed against the show's director, producer, writer, actors, and Amazon India Originals' CEO for hurting religious sensibilities. Saif later apologised for "hurting people's feelings" in a statement.

Kangana Ranaut banned from Twitter: Few people are kicked-off public platforms such as Twitter that are all about free speech, but some do make that list. In May, when she made controversial remarks about the West Bengal elections, she was dumped off the grid. That hasn’t stopped the ‘Queen’ actor – she still makes posts that some consider scandalous, she just does on through different social media sites.

Kartik Aaryan credits roll: Aaryan has ended the year with an impressive performance in ‘Dhamaka’, streaming on Netflix now, but the year has had its upheavals too. He was hoisted out of several films such as ‘Dostana 2’, ‘Freddie’ and filmmaker Aanand L Rai’s untitled project.

Saif Ali Khan and his actor wife Kareena Kapoor can’t seem to catch a break. Just as the world – read fans – had calmed down about their first child’s name, Taimur, and they announced their second son’s, Jehangir, there were in for a terrible backlash. Speaking about the furore, Kareena told Guardian, “Honestly, these are names that we just liked; it’s nothing else. They are beautiful names and they’re beautiful boys. It’s unfathomable why somebody would troll children. I feel terrible about it, but I have to just focus and get through it. I can’t be looking at my life through the trolls."

Speaking of Kapoor Khan, she made headlines when she was asked to play Sita in a remake of the Indian epic ‘Ramayana’ and she asked for a raise. While there were trolls on the ground, there were also supporters who called for parity of pay.

Jacqueline Fernandez has found that no gift comes without a price – and in this case, the presents may cost dearly. After she was linked to conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar, she’s been under the scanner - the Enforcement Directorate has repeatedly questioned her about him.

Alia Bhatt featured in an ad that turned the tradition of ‘giving away the bride’ on its head. Cue drama and the for and against clubs roared on Twitter. She doesn’t seem quite so bothered.