Year End 2023 | From Adipurush dialogue, Deepika’s saffron bikini to deepfake video, big controversy in the world of cinema in 2023

There is a lot to celebrate about cinema this year. But apart from the blockbuster release and India’s Oscar win, what caught people’s attention were the many controversies. From the debate over ‘Besharam Rang’ song to Rashmika Mandanna’s deepfake video, everything created a buzz online. Here’s a look at some of the top controversies of the year-

Controversy over Deepika’s saffron bikini arose with the return of Shahrukh Khan after 4 years.

Shahrukh Khan made a comeback with his blockbuster ‘Pathan’. Apart from the interesting action sequences and story, what sparked debate online was the ‘Pathan’ song, ‘Besharam Rang.’ While there were some who praised Deepika’s screen presence and stunning dance moves, a section of the audience was not happy with one of her outfits. Protests started across the country regarding the color of the dress. After the uproar, the censor board recommended modifications and in the final version, the ‘controversial’ costume appeared in a scene after the song.

‘Adipurush’ dialogue controversy

Om Raut’s mythological drama ‘Adipurush’ also became a topic of discussion online after fans heavily criticized the film’s dialogues. It was an adaptation of the epic Ramayana. It starred Prabhas, Kriti Sanon and Saif Ali Khan in lead roles. Apart from the dialogues written by Manoj Muntashir, the film was criticized for weak performances, poor screenplay and VFX.

The film also started a meme fest in which the dialogues were lampooned. Following the protests, Manoj Muntashir announced amendments to address audience concerns and widespread criticism, which affected box office earnings.

Alia Bhatt’s lipstick comment

Alia Bhatt’s actor-husband Ranbir Kapoor was trolled after his wife’s comments during an interview. In August 2023, the National Award-winning actor had mentioned during a lipstick application tutorial for Vogue that her husband Ranbir Kapoor liked her natural lip shade and had previously asked her to ‘wipe off’ the lipstick.

In the video, Alia can be heard saying, “One thing my husband [जब वह मेरे पति नहीं थे, जब वह मेरे बॉयफ्रेंड भी थे] Used to say, when we went out at night, he used to say ‘him [लिपस्टिक’ पोंछ लो” ] Stop. Delete it’. Because he likes the natural color of my lips.”

The comment made by Bhatt took social media by storm, with users mercilessly trolling Ranbir for his comment. Many people even called Ranbir a ‘toxic’ partner. The ‘Animal’ actor also reacted to the trolling during an interaction with fans via Zoom and said, “Recently, I was reading some articles related to being toxic and some of the statements I made and I understand it. And I’m on the side of those who are fighting for toxic masculinity. If they use me as the face of it, that’s okay because their fight is just their opinion about what I said. “Keeping it is bigger than being sad. I see the bigger picture.”

Rashmika Mandanna’s deepfake video

Apart from the controversies related to films, this year an ugly side of technology also came to the fore. Viral AI deepfake videos of several celebrities shocked fans and stars alike. The first big name of the film industry to come under the influence of technology was Rashmika Mandanna.

After this the threat increased and many other Bollywood A-listers also became its victims, including Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt and Kajol. Apart from fans, big names from the industry like Amitabh Bachchan, Vijay Deverakonda and others highlighted the issue and called for preventive and corrective action.