Year Ender 2025: Here’s Why Bollywood Remained In News In 2025

Love it or loathe it, Bollywood can’t keep calm without its dosage of controversies and 2025 was no different. From work-hour wars and creative missteps to legal battles, here are 10 reasons Bollywood kept grabbing headlines all year long.

Saif Ali Khan Attacked

Bollywood rang in 2025 on a tense note after actor Saif Ali Khan was allegedly attacked at his Mumbai residence. The ‘Hum Tum’ star suffered serious injuries, including damage to his thoracic spine. The incident jolted the industry and led Saif and Kareena Kapoor Khan to publicly urge paparazzi to stop photographing their children, reigniting the privacy debate.

Money Matters

After the sudden death of Karisma Kapoor’s ex-husband Sunjay Kapur, grief quickly took a backseat to gossip. His multi-billion-dollar estate became the real headline, with his mother, current wife and children, including those from his marriage to Karisma, locked in a bitter succession battle.

Trouble in ‘Hera Pheri’ Paradise

Who saw this coming? Tension crept into Bollywood’s most beloved trio, Paresh Rawal, Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty, during the shoot of ‘Hera Pheri 3’. Rawal reportedly walked out after a fallout, Akshay Kumar took the legal route and fans panicked. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and Rawal returned.

Deepika Padukone vs the 8-hour Workday

New mom Deepika Padukone sparked a nationwide debate by demanding an eight-hour work shift on film sets. Reports claimed the condition cost her roles in ‘Spirit’ and ‘Kalki 2’. As the industry split into camps, Deepika clarified her stance, pointing out how male actors still enjoy marathon schedules without question.

Paps vs Jaya Bachchan

Jaya Bachchan’s love-hate relationship with paparazzi boiled over yet again. Her sharp remarks questioning their professionalism and education didn’t go down well with photographers or netizens, triggering another round of outrage, memes and endless debates on celebrity privacy.

Ranveer Singh’s ‘Kantara’ Misstep

Ahead of ‘Dhurandhar’, Ranveer Singh landed in hot water at IFFI Goa after recreating a scene from ‘Kantara: Chapter 1’ and referring to the sacred Daiva ritual as a ‘ghost’. Filmmaker-actor Rishab Shetty called the reference insensitive and sacred. Ranveer apologised publicly, but not before social media exploded.

Smriti Mandhana’s Wedding Drama

What began as concern turned into chaos. Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana’s wedding to singer Palaash Muchhal was postponed after her father showed heart attack symptoms. Soon after, alleged leaked chats and rumours of infidelity flooded ‘Instagram’. Cryptic posts followed and by early December, the couple confirmed the wedding was off, without explaining why.

Pakistani Artists Banned

Following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians, India imposed a ban on Pakistani artists. Fawad Khan’s comeback film ‘Abir Gulaal’, his first Bollywood project in nine years, was barred from release. Co-star Vaani Kapoor faced massive backlash.

Aryan Khan: Reel Life vs Real Trouble

Aryan Khan’s directorial debut, Netflix’s ‘The Ba****ds of Bollywood’, ran into legal trouble when former NCB officer Sameer Wankhede alleged a defamatory portrayal inspired by him. The case reignited the age-old debate: where does creative freedom end and responsibility begin?

Udit Narayan’s Kiss Controversy

The 1990s popular singer courted controversy when he kissed female fans during a concert. Though his son, Aditya Narayan, called it the affection of the fans, most industry insiders weren’t really supportive.