From Sridevi’s death to the MeToo movement: Here are the biggest entertainment news stories of the year

2018 was a year of big controversies and bigger celebrations in Bollywood. Check out what made headline every month from January to December this year.

Usually, at the end of the year, we always say ‘Gee!! I did not realise how quickly this year went by’ but not this time. 2018 was a long, long roller-coaster ride through all sorts of good and bad experiences, even in the entertainment world.

Here are the biggest headlines of the year from the entertainment world.

Celebrities got married, pregnant, awarded and even arrested through the year. Just to remind you what a whirlwind this year has been, here’s a quick recap of biggest entertainment stories of every month from January to December.

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January

File photo of Karni Sena members protest against the release of film Padmaavat in Rajasthan.(PTI Photo)

The dumpster fire that was sparked in 2017, raged well into the first month of 2018 as well. January was when Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s controversial magnum opus, Padmavati was renamed Padmaavat and was finally released on the big screen, with or without the blessings of Karni Sena. School buses were stoned, threats of Jauhar were made but none of it could stop the film from minting almost Rs 600 crore at the worldwide box office.

February

People gather in large number to pay their respect during the funeral procession of actor Sridevi.

February was the month in which Hindi film industry lost one of its shiniest stars, Sridevi. The iconic actor died in Dubai on February 24 while attending her nephew’s wedding. Her death shocked the entire nation and thousands gathered in Mumbai for her funeral procession. Tributes poured in from Bollywood stars, her friends, family and fans and she was accorded with full state honours.

February was also when Marvel released its unexpected hit Black Panther and Priya Prakash Varrier became a household name thanks to her viral wink.

March

Another month, another shocking news for Bollywood. Actor Irrfan Khan revealed in March that he has been diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour. He shared a short note about the diagnosis on Twitter and also said that he will receive the treatment for it in London. He is still in London and is reportedly responding well to treatment.

The Oscars ceremony was also hosted in March and Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape Of Water won the Best Picture. Also in March, Kapil Sharma made an unsuccessful return to television with Family Time With Kapil Sharma, a show that was cancelled after just three episodes.

April

Bollywood actor Salman Khan arrives at the court for a hearing in allegations on blackbuck hunting case in Jodhpur. (PTI Photo)

In April, Salman Khan was finally awarded five years in jail after being convicted of killing two blackbucks in September 1998, while shooting for Hum Saath Saath Hain. Salman spent two nights in jail and has since been out on bail. All the other accused in the case, Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam, were acquitted in the case.

Also in April, Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War took the country by a storm, breaking several box office records and leaving the fans scarred by its shocking ending. The film made Rs 120 crore on just the opening weekend in India and has made almost $2 billion across the world.

May

Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja at the wedding in May.

May was all about getting married and spreading the love in Bollywood. Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja kicked off the month with their star-studded wedding. Sonam’s bridal look, pictures from the wedding, and video from the reception went viral within hours. Ranveer Singh, Anil Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and almost the entire Bollywood danced their hearts out and made Sonam’s wedding one to remember for a long time.

Also in May, Ranbir confirmed that he was dating Alia Bhatt, Neha Dhupia tied the knot with Angad Bedi in a surprise wedding and Deepika Padukone, Aishwarya Rai and Sonam spread their magic at the Cannes Film Festival.

June

Ranbir Kapoor made June his own with the release of his film Sanju. This biopic on actor Sanjay Dutt made Rs 350 crore at the box office and became the third highest grossing Indian film ever. The film was loved by the audiences but many still criticised director Rajkumar Hirani of whitewashing Dutt’s image with his film, something Hirani later agreed that he did.

Other things that made news in June were Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli’s ‘garbage’ video that showed her scolding a man for littering the streets and ‘national jiju’ Nick Jonas’ first visit to India.

July

Another shocking news hit Bollywood in July. Actor Sonali Bendre was diagnosed with cancer and she made the revelation through an emotional post on Instagram. She left for New York for her treatment and has since been chronicling her experience and journey on Instagram.

Also in July, Priyanka Chopra quit Bharat and Katrina Kaif was roped in for her role. Also Netflix launched its first Indian original show, Sacred Games which turned out to be a massive hit.

August

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas got engaged in August.

August was the month when Priyanka Chopra finally confirmed her relationship with Nick Jonas and how! He flew in the dead of the night and the next thing we knew, they were engaged! Priyanka and Nick shared pictures from their traditional Hindu roka ceremony to confess their love to the world.

Also in August, Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana made her debut on the cover of Vogue magazine, sparking a big controversy. People took to Twitter to ask what exactly she had done so far to deserve the cover while others defended her for the same.

September

Nana Patekar reacts while talking to the media in Mumbai.

This was perhaps the most monumental moment of the entertainment industry this year. Actor Tanushree Dutta gave an interview and sparked a fire that raged for months. She accused actor Nana Patekar of harassing her on the sets of their film Horn OK Pleassse in 2008. Her interview inspired women all over the country to out their own harassers and names were taken in Bollywood, media and even the education industry. Film directors Subash Ghai, Sajid Khan, actor Alok Nath, music composer Anu Malik, singer Kailash Kher and many more were named as part of what came to be known as India’s MeToo movement.

October

Following in the footsteps of the movement, the first real action was seen in the month of October. Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan refused to work with men accused of sexual harassment. Nana Patekar, Sajid Khan and more had to quit their projects due to the furore against them.

Also in October, actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh finally confirmed their six year long relationship by releasing a wedding card!

November

And that confirmation was followed by a dreamy wedding in November. Deepika and Ranveer flew to Italy’s Lake Como with their families for a secret wedding. They shared stunning photos from the wedding upon their return to India and threw three lavish reception parties for their friends and families.

In other news, Aamir Khan’s big release of the year, Thugs of Hindostan turned out to be a dud at the box office and Neha Dhupia welcomed her baby daughter. Also, comic book legend Stan Lee died at the age of 95.

December

December has been a month that was all about star-studded weddings. First Priyanka Chopra tied the knot with Nick Jonas at Jodhpur’s Umaid Bhawan Palace then Mukesh Ambani’s daughter Isha got married to Anand Piramal in Mumbai with Bollywood celebs in attendance. Television star Kapil Sharma, Rodies judge Raghu Ram, and many more stars from film and television world tied the knot.

December also saw the release of Shah Rukh Khan’s Zero and will see the release of Ranveer Singh’s Simmba.