Home » Photos » #BoycottBollywood: Padmavat to Fanaa, these Bollywood films sparked controversy even before their release
#BoycottBollywood: Padmavat to Fanaa, these Bollywood films sparked controversy even before their release
Recently, Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha also witnessed calls for a boycott from many netizens.
Controversial Bollywood films that incited calls for their boycott
Indian cinema’s history has had its fair share of films that the public did not take kindly to. Some of them even found themselves in the midst of controversy for a number of reasons, with many calling for a boycott of the films. While some of them witnessed calls for a boycott after their release, there were some which found themselves on the bad side of the public even before their release. Here is a list of movies which found themselves in the centre of controversy.
1/10
Lal Singh Chaddha
The soon-to-be-released film starring Aamir khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan is a remake of the Academy Award winning Hollywood film Forrest Gump, featuring Tom Hanks. The upcoming movie has been involved in a round of controversies recently because of Aamir's earlier statement about the growing intolerance in India and how he feels the environment is not safe anymore. His activities since then, like his meeting with Turkey's first lady, are also going viral and being used as reasons for netizens to boycott the movie. Laal Singh Chaddha took more than a decade to be made. The film is now trending with #BoycottBoolywood.
2/10
Padmaavat
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is the director of the 2018 Indian period drama and romance film Padmaavat. The film, which stars Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmavati, Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh, and Ranveer Singh as Sultan Alauddin Khilji, is based on the epic poem of the same name by Malik Muhammad Jayasi.A number of Rajput caste organisations, such as the Shri Rajput Karni Sena and its members, had protested and even vandalised the filming locations, claiming that the movie painted a negative picture of the historical figure Padmavati. Additionally, they had attacked Bhansali on a movie shoot. More violent threats from the Sena had been issued., ,In addition, a number of Muslim authorities demanded a ban in response to the alleged distortion of Ala-ud-din Khilji. In some regions of India, there were violent demonstrations and rioting in the days before the movie's debut. Despite not having a wide release, the movie still managed to become the tenth most grossing Bollywood movie in terms of box office revenue. The movie is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.,
3/10
PK
The 2014 movie stirred controversy as soon as its poster featured Aamir Khan nude and holding a radio, was unveiled. The film was claimed to be against Indian ethics and customs. Debates concerning how religious sensibilities and rituals were portrayed in the movie flared up after it was released. Despite receiving criticism and demonstrations for its controversial content, the movie broke box office records and is now regarded as a Bollywood cult classic. The movie is currently streaming on SonyLiv.
4/10
Fire
Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das star in the 1996 romantic drama film Fire, which was written and directed by Deepa Mehta. It is the first book of Mehta's trilogy on the Elements; Earth (1998) and Water follow (2005).The 1942 short tale "Lihaaf" by Ismat Chughtai inspired the basic plot of the movie. The movie was the first popular Bollywood movies to explore a lesbian relationship and clearly depict homosexuality., ,Following its release in India in 1998, activists organised a number of rallies, sparking a flurry of public discussion on topics including freedom of expression and homosexuality. Shiv Sainik and Bajrang Dal members demonstrated against the movie's lesbianism-related concept. Additionally, it made some wonder if India is prepared for "parallel" films., ,Shiv Sainiks even broke into a Cinemax theatre in Mumbai's district of Goregaon, breaking windows, setting posters on fire, and yelling anti-government slogans. The demonstrators said it interfered with marriage's establishment and is against the Indian ethos. The movie is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.,
5/10
Black Friday
Anurag Kashyap wrote and directed the crime drama Black Friday which was released in 2004. The film is based on Hussain Zaidi's book Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts, which tells the true story of the 1993 Bombay bombings.The movie premiered in 2004 at the Locarno International Film Festival, but the Bombay High Court stayed its release following a petition filed by a group suspected of being responsible for the 1993 bombings. It couldn't be revealed until the case's verdict was rendered. The Supreme Court of India approved the verdict's release on February 9th, 2007, following the announcement. The movie was well-received by critics. You can watch this movie on Disney+Hotstar.,
6/10
Parzania
An Indian drama film from 2007 starred Naseeruddin Shah and Sarika in key roles. The movie is based on the true account of ten-year-old Parsi boy Azhar Mody, who is portrayed in the movie as Parzaan Pithawala. Mody vanished following the massacre at the Gulbarg Society on February 28, 2002, which resulted in the deaths of 69 people and was just one of many incidents that occurred during the communal riots in Gujarat that year. The movie follows the Pithawala family's adventure as they search for their kidnapped son.The movie was purposely not released in Gujarat since it dealt with communal unrest there; theatre owners were reluctant to show it for fear of retribution. According to reports, the Bajrang Dal ordered theatre owners not to show Parzania when it was banned in Gujarat. No theatres were prepared to show the film. The movie is streaming on Hotstar.,
7/10
Fanaa
Gujarat never released the Aamir Khan and Kajol starrer Fanaa. The movie, which was directed by Kunal Kohli, recounts the journey of its two main characters—one of them is looking for love and the other is on a mission.Aamir Khan's stance on the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) angered the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), who vowed to prohibit the movie until Aamir apologised for his claimed anti-Gujarat sentiments. As a result, the movie faced an unofficial ban in the state. Yet Mr. Perfectionist remained immovable. Aamir spoke out against increasing the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam, which angered some political figures in Gujarat. The movie is available on Amazon Prime Video.,
8/10
Firaaq
A month has passed after the carnage in Gujarat, India, and the 2008 Hindi political thriller Firaaq examines the repercussions of that aftermath on regular people's lives. Nandita Dash, an actress, makes her directorial debut with this movie, which also stars Naseeruddin Shah, Deepti Naval, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead roles.The 2008 political thriller Firaaq examines the repercussions of the aftermath on regular people's lives after the 2002 Gujarat violence. Nandita Dash makes her directorial debut with this movie, which also stars Naseeruddin Shah, Deepti Naval, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead roles., ,The plot takes place over the course of one day, one month after a massacre that occurred in Gujarat, India, in 2002. Firaaq, a film on the post-Godhra riots, won numerous international awards and received excellent reviews at film festivals across the world, but none of the multiplexes in the Gujarat state screened it because of the anger and criticism the movie was receiving. The movie is available for you to watch on Amazon Prime Video.,
9/10
Shahid
Anurag Kashyap produced the 2012 Hindi-language biographical drama Shahid, directed by Hansal Mehta. Rajkummar Rao plays Shahid Azmi in the movie, which is based on the story of the lawyer and human rights activist who was killed in 2010, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub.Hansal Mehta got death threats from religious organisations to stop making this film because of its contentious subject and portrayal of Shahid Azmi's life. The protesters also daubed black ink over Mehta's face in an effort to intimidate him and convey their displeasure with the movie. The movie is available on Amazon Prime Video.,
10/10
Water
Anurag Kashyap wrote the screenplay for Deepa Mehta's 2005 drama film Water, which she also wrote and directed. The story takes place in 1938 and focuses on the widows who live in an ashram near Varanasi, India. The movie is also Mehta's third and last entry in his Elements trilogy. Fire (1996) and Earth (1996) came before it (1998). A number of Hindus were offended, which caused them to burn the movie's posters on the ghats. In an effort to halt the film's development, activist Arun Pathak also organized a suicide protest.Water is a dark examination of the experiences of rural Indian widows in the 1940s and touches on issues including child marriage, misogyny, and exclusion. Although it could have been released in 2005, the movie wasn't shown outside of India until 2009 due to widespread criticism and a prohibition. The movie received a "U" rating from the Indian censor boards. The movie is available on Amazon Prime Video,