LOOKING BACK AT A ROLLERCOASTER YEAR, WHERE TALENT ROSE TO THE TOP AND MEDIOCRITY SANK BADLY
For celebrities around the world, 2019 was another year filled with highs, lows and unexpected turns. There were triumphs, defeats and plenty of things that just should not have happened. Here is my look back over the past 12 months at my celebrity winners and losers of 2019, including two talents that stood out above the rest.
WINNERS
Lilly Singh: Woman of the year is the YouTube sensation turned TV host, who did the impossible and bagged herself a late night talk show filled with A-list stars in USA. She has inspired a generation of youngsters to believe that anything is possible.
Ayushmann Khurrana: Man of the year is an actor who is on the most incredible run in Bollywood and followed up two hits in 2018 with three more blockbusters in 2019. His out-of-thebox subjects have shown the rest of Hindi cinema that content is king.
Hrithik Roshan: A dream year for the A-list star included the highest grossing Bollywood film of 2019 with War and an incredible performance in hit drama Super 30. He was also named the sexiest Asian Man of 2019 and the decade, which received huge global media coverage.
Alia Bhatt: The crown princess of Bollywood won awards, starred in India’s Oscar entry Gully Boy and bagged further projects that will likely elevate her to the very top. She also topped Eastern Eye’s globally renowned list of 50 Sexiest Asian Women.
Naomi Scott: The half-Indian British beauty had a dream Hollywood year that included a lead role in Aladdin, which grossed over a billion dollars at the box office and a starring role in action blockbuster Charlie’s Angels.
Charli XCX: The pop superstar showed once again she is the perfect combination of singing, song writing and looking iconic. The half-Indian British star had another incredible year, which included arguably the best album of 2019.
Sukh Ojla: The new stand-up comedy talent that everyone was talking about this year was the British funny girl. Her highlights included owning the stage at shows with other comedians and presenting her solo show at Edinburgh Fringe. Look out for her solo tour in 2020.
Himesh Patel: The talented actor announced himself to the big time with a wonderful lead role in Danny Boyle directed musical comedy Yesterday. He bagged himself further big projects and will next be seen in high-profile science fiction comedy Avenue 5.
Bilal Ashraf: With Fawad Khan seemingly stuck, Pakistani cinema has been in desperate need of a leading man with international calibre and Bilal stepped up with his role in Superstar. Expect the man officially named as sexiest Pakistani of 2019 to rise further.
Zoya Akhtar: The writer/director had a double triumph by delivering Oscar entry Gully Boy and acclaimed Amazon series Made In Heaven. She continued to make a mark in a male-dominated terrain and has blazed a trail for other women writers/directors.
LOSERS
Arjun Kapoor: The actor followed up a terrible 2018 with a disastrous 2019 that included high-profile flops India’s Most Wanted and Panipat. His film Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar is reportedly so bad it doesn’t have any takers. It looks like the beginning of the end for the actor.
Sidharth Malhotra: The actor has been going in reverse in the past few years again and continued the downward spiral with two further Bollywood disappointments. Although the has further chances to turn things around, it doesn’t look likely.
Priyanka Chopra: The A-list star probably received arguably the most negative publicity of her career and things got so bad that there were petitions calling for her to be removed as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. She was also labelled a warmonger. Her film The Sky Is Pink failed badly at the box office.
Meesha Shafi: Many feel the singer has damaged the Me Too movement in Pakistan. It has been over 18 months since she accused Ali Zafar of sexual harassment. Whilst he has provided witnesses, along with video evidence, she doesn’t seem to be willing to face him in court or provide evidence.
Saif Ali Khan: The actor continued his nosedive in Bollywood with another disastrous film, and the second series of Sacred Games received largely negative reviews.
Karan Johar: The super producer seems to be losing his creative edge. His film Kalank was an epic disaster and the awful Drive was deemed to be so bad that it went straight to a Netflix release. Meanwhile, Kesari and Student Of the Year 2 didn’t match expectations.
Vikram Bhatt: The rubbish director has a career littered with terrible films and Sanaya Irani was the latest star to suffer. Bhatt wasted the opportunity of launching the talented TV actress into cinema with awful film Ghost. He looks all set to repeat that awfulness with Hina Khan’s debut film Hacked.
Emraan Hashmi: It has been such a long time since the actor was in a successful film that it’s a wonder why he is still offered Bollywood projects. He delivered two more duds films in 2019 and also starred in cliché ridden Netflix series Bard Of Blood, which many felt added to tensions between India and Pakistan.
Sonakshi Sinha: The actress has become a specialist in starring in disastrous films. Three out of her four films have failed in 2019, with the only success being Mission Mangal, where she only had a small role. Her new film Dabangg 3, which releases this week, also looks like a disaster.
A scene from The Thursday Murder Club, where four retirees turn amateur detectives in a quiet British village shaken by a real murderInstagram/NetflixUK
Stills from Andaz Apna Apna
Stills from Andaz Apna Apna
Vinay Kumar Sinha
Rahul’s casual dismissal of that controversy has added fuel to the fire
Rahul Bhatt sparks controversy over 'insensitive' remarks about sisters Alia and Pooja Bhatt
Rahul Bhatt, fitness trainer and son of veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, has found himself at the centre of a social media storm following controversial remarks about his half-sister, Alia Bhatt. In a recent interview, Rahul drew comparisons between Alia and their older sister Pooja Bhatt, calling the latter more talented, attractive, and principled.
The comments, which many have labelled inappropriate and insensitive, have sparked widespread criticism online. During the interview, Rahul stated, “In my opinion, she (Alia) is not even half of what my real sister Pooja is. Not in talent, not in looks, not in terms of being sexy. In front of my sister, she is ‘paani kam chai’ (watery tea). Amongst the siblings, the most talented and the most moralistic is Pooja.”
Social media users reacted strongly, questioning why Rahul would compare his sisters in such personal terms. Several users were particularly disturbed by his reference to their appearance and sex appeal, pointing out that such comparisons within a family cross boundaries of propriety. One comment read, “This is disturbing. Why talk about your sisters like that? It’s not just weird, it’s wrong.” Another post said, “There’s nothing respectful about comparing your siblings’ attractiveness in public.”
The backlash also reignited conversation around a decades-old controversy involving Mahesh Bhatt and Pooja Bhatt. Rahul was asked about the infamous 1990s magazine cover where the father-daughter duo shared a kiss, which had stirred public outrage at the time. Dismissing the criticism, Rahul said, “It doesn’t make any difference. It’s like water off a duck’s back. We know the truth, and we’ve seen everything since childhood.”
Rahul’s casual dismissal of that controversy has added fuel to the fire, with critics saying it reflects a broader issue of the Bhatt family being insensitive to public perception and boundaries. Many users questioned the need for bringing up old incidents in a bid to defend new and equally questionable statements.
As of now, neither Alia Bhatt nor Pooja Bhatt has issued any public response to Rahul’s remarks. Both actors, known for their significant contributions to Indian cinema, have typically kept family matters private despite living in the public eye.
This episode has also sparked debate over the role of public figures in maintaining respect when discussing family matters in the media. Observers say such comments, especially when involving women’s appearance and personal qualities, reinforce problematic attitudes and fuel unnecessary controversies.
While Rahul Bhatt is not as prominent in the entertainment industry as his father or sisters, his comments have made headlines and placed the Bhatt family in the spotlight for reasons beyond their creative work. For many, this serves as a reminder that public platforms come with responsibility, and that family ties should not be trivialised or dissected for attention or comparison.
The backlash is unlikely to subside soon, especially as fans and followers of Alia and Pooja continue to express disappointment over the way the situation has unfolded. Whether or not Rahul chooses to clarify or apologise remains to be seen.