2018 has been a tumultuous year, filled with drama, deaths, health issues, epic films, family reunions, romance, and of course, weddings. There have been some major events in Bollywood that will change the course of the future, and some ridiculous moments that still have us laughing.
Here’s looking at the good, the bad and the ugly but totally epic moments of 2018 in Bollywood! (In no particular order of course!)
After months of controversy and battles, Sanjay Leela Bhansali finally released his film, “Padmavaat.” The epic historical romance starred Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, and Priyanka Chopra. The film saw a magnificent opening becoming the top-grossing film overseas for the year. “Padmavaat” came in second as the top grossing film worldwide and in India with “Sanju” in the #1 spot.
Sadly, the world saw the early demise of the legendary actress Sridevi in February of 2018. The actress passed in Dubai after the wedding festivities of Boney Kapoor’s nephew. Her passing had not only the Kapoor family in mourning but the entire nation and millions of Sridevi fans around the world. However, the light through these tragic times is that over the course of the year we witnessed the beautiful reunion of Boney Kapoor’s family. Being the wonderful brother that he is, Arjun took charge taking care of all his sisters as well as his father in this time of need. Arjun and his sister Anshula have bonded so beautifully with their half-sisters, Khushi, and Janhvi, it truly warms the heart to see all four Kapoor kids in one shot.
International actor, Irrfan Khan announced on social media that he was diagnosed with cancer. The talented actor shifted his life to London, England for better treatment. Though he updates regularly regarding his body’s reaction to treatment, we continue to hope that Khan pulls through like the fighter he is.
Salman Khan was finally sentenced to jail for his actions, which crime you ask? Well, allegedly during the shoot of the epic family film, “Hum Saath Saath Hain” Khan along with his co-stars, Sonali Bendre, Neelam, Tabu and Saif Ali Khan were involved in a black buck poaching incident. Though the others were acquitted, Khan was sentenced to five years of imprisonment by the Jodhpur court. However, he was bailed out after two days.
The stunning Sonam Kapoor married her long-time beau, Anand Ahuja in an epic family wedding in May. The entire industry was invited to all the events and watching this beautiful wedding unfold was magical. It was filled with joy, love, and laughter with all the biggest names breaking loose like every uncle celebrating the wedding of his favorite niece. From Shah Rukh Khan and Anil Kapoor taking over the stage with drunken dance moves late into the night, to hilarious family dance performances. The Kapoor-Ahuja wedding was a delight to stalk through social media.
Another epic moment was when Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor showed up at the Kapoor-Ahuja wedding together! Rumors of their romantic relationship went from skeptical to official! Slowly the rest of the year led to more snaps of the duo as their romance blossomed.
Actress and talk show host Neha Dhupia quietly married her beau, Angad Bedi. The couple looked stunning and kept their wedding very private. By the end of the year the couple even welcomed home their baby girl!
Ranbir Kapoor was phenomenal in “Sanju,” a biopic that was inspired by the life of Sanjay Dutt. Though close friends report that the film is not totally accurate, fans still loved the story none-the-less. “Sanju” became the highest grossing film of 2018 in India and worldwide.
This summer saw the debut of Sridevi and Boney Kapoor’s eldest daughter, Janhvi Kapoor in the film “Dhadak.” The film is a remake of the hit Marathi film “Sairat.” A sweet romance, co-starring Shahid Kapoor’s younger brother, Ishaan Khattar. The reviews were mixed regarding the film’s screenplay but many praised Kapoor and Khattar’s acting.
In July, actress Sonali Bendre finally announced that she too has been diagnosed with cancer. She has metastatic cancer which is one of the last stages. The actress moved to New York City to obtain the best treatment. Though she continues to struggle with the new changes in her body and the pain of treatment, the optimistic star is continuously spreading positivity and love.
Nick Jonas made a trip to India in June, rumors were spreading that he proposed to India’s favorite rani, Priyanka Chopra on her 36th birthday in July. By August the couple made it official! Their whirlwind romance has taken Hollywood and Bollywood by storm. From their Roka ceremony in August to the epic wedding celebration at a palace in India in December, the couple’s love touched fans everywhere. The Jonas-Chopra wedding was a blend of cultures with a Christian ceremony, a Mehendi, a Sangeet, and a Hindu ceremony. This was America’s first big fat Indian wedding, and they clearly didn’t know what they were getting into.
Isha Ambani’s epic wedding took up much of the year with events that had the industry’s biggest names attending. Some snaps of Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Aamir Khan serving food to guests made the rounds confusing fans. Abhishek Bachchan finally cleared the air tweeting that it was a ceremony known as Sajjan Ghothere the bride’s family serves the groom’s side. Being close to the Ambani family, the stars showed their love by taking part in the rituals.
Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan’s daughter finally made her debut into the industry with a magazine cover. Vogue India released an interview and a stunning spread of the young socialite in their August edition. This definitely sparked debates of nepotism questioning what the young Khan did to deserve being on the cover other than being born with the right last name.
Though the Indian film industry has seen sexual assault cases, like earlier in the year when veteran actor Jeetendra was accused of sexual assault by his cousin, it wasn’t until former actress Tanushree Dutta took a stand did India’s #MeToo movement began. Dutta has been living in America for quite a number of years but during her visit home, she rehashed her own case of sexual assault in an interview. She stated that the threats and bullying of her abuser, Nana Patekar and those linked to him forced her out of the industry all those years ago. The floodgates were opened and hundreds of women in the industry spoke up revealing numerous other culprits like Alok Nath, Subhash Kapoor and more.
Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao took a bold move when they showed support for the women in their industry by removing themselves from the Gulshan Kumar biopic “Mogal” because director Subhash Kapoor was allegedly accused of molestation.
In October Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone finally made things official with the release of their wedding card. The couple got married in Lake Como, Italy in a simple family-only wedding. They had an Anand Karaj ceremony as well as a Konkani ceremony.
Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh’s daughter, Sara Ali Khan made her debut into Bollywood. The young actress has been making the rounds in the media appearing on shows to promote “Kedarnath” which co-stars Sushant Singh Rajput, as well as “Simmba” which co-stars Ranveer Singh. She is elegant, sweet, graceful and so relatable, it is easy to see that this new Khan will instantly become a media favorite. “Kedarnath” received some decent reviews and Khan has recieved some high praise for her natural acting abilities. Though “Simmba” has just released, the popularity of the film in such a short time proves it will be another hit under the newcomer’s belt.
Nila is a freelance journalist and Clinical Psychology Doctoral student who was born and raised in New York City. There is very little she loves more than Harry Potter marathons, pizza, 90s Bollywood, bagels, falooda, and her family. She hopes to use her powers for good by spreading mental health awareness and positivity in the South Asian community through her love of writing.
