From ‘Andhadhun’ to #MeToo, let’s look back at the Good, Bad and Ugly moments from 2018

2018 is coming to a close and Bollywood has had a roller coaster year. The Hindi Film industry saw many ups and downs and 2018 proved that content is the real king. We were lucky to witness films like ‘Padmaavat, ‘Sanju’, ‘Veere Di Wedding’, ‘Andhadhun’ and so many other films where the script was the real winner.

There were some rough moments and controversies as well and it taught the industry a much-needed lesson. Let’s look back at the Good, Bad and Ugly moments of 2018.

The Good:

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Who would have thought that the year 2018 would belong to the likes of Vicky Kaushal, Rajkummar Rao and Ayushmann Khurrana. The Hindi film industry finally realised the value of a good script and sound content. The films, which not only got critical applause but also did fantastically well at the box office were ‘Raazi’, ‘Andhadhun’, ‘Stree’, ‘Badhaai Ho’ and ‘Veere Di Wedding’.

The year was also successful for Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh. Ranbir Kapoor, after a gap of six long years, gave a genuine hit in Rajkumar Hirani’s Sanjay Dutt’s biopic ‘Sanju’. Ranveer Singh continued his winning partnership with Sanjay Leela Bhansali and delivered a jaw-dropping hit in ‘Padmaavat’.

Cinema is a medium where anything is possible as long as you are creative and original. Another good thing about 2018 was the emergence of young talent. The likes of Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan proved their acting mettle.

The Bad:

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It is never a good sight when you see the legends fail and perform below their best. The Holy trinity of Khans i.e Aamir, Shah Rukh and Salman performed way below expectations and endured a difficult year at the box office.

Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Zero’ has so far received mixed reviews and has done meager business. Salman Khan’s much-publicised ‘Race 3’ was brutally panned by critics and Aamir Khan’s ‘Thugs of Hindostan’ couldn’t live up to the expectations. The Khans had a very subdued and mediocre 2018 and it would not surprise anyone if they have a bumper 2019 and bounce back in style.

The Ugly:

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The whole #MeToo movement exposed the ugly and atrocious side of Bollywood. From Nana Patekar to Sajid Khan to Alok Nath to Vikas Bahl to Subhash Ghai, plenty of prominent names were accused of sexual harassment. The sad reality is that after all the shouting and screaming, normalcy returned within a couple of weeks and the whole issue got sidelined conveniently.

The #MeToo exposed the façade of B-town treating women with equality and respect. After the #MeToo storm forced Hollywood to clean up its act in 2017, Bollywood just did a tokenism job and plenty of big fishes are still out in the open and harassing women.

India of 21st century demands equal rights and standing in the society for women. And Bollywood has to be accountable and answerable to the audiences and also to the women of this country.

Also Read: 2018 Wrap Up: The remarkable achievers Bollywood has witnessed this year

Dhaval Mehta

I am crazy and obsessed with politics, sports and entertainment. A journalist, who is not afraid to give his opinion and believes in calling spade a spade. I like to think on my feet and come up with original, fresh and out of the box ideas.
Email: editor@bollywoodbubble.com Phone: +91 8355910465