20 Bollywood Secrets and Scandals that are Shocking

Bollywood and its filmi duniya are not as perfect as they look from the outside. In this industry of glitz and glamour, there are a plethora of hidden Bollywood secrets and scandals.

From shocking facts, stories to revelations about the stars that may not be known to everyone.

If you have a favourite Bollywood actor or actress and adore them for their roles and on-screen appearances, it may come as a surprise that they may not portray the same celebrity personas in the real world.

Many stars possess dark secrets from the past which are very different from their public image.

We’ve fished 20 shocking Bollywood secrets about the stars from a murky sea that most likely holds many many more.

1. Kangana Ranaut survived an Abusive Relationship for Stardom

Kangana Ranaut is among the many few actresses who has been vocal about the harassment she faced during her journey as an actress.

In an interview,  she spoke about her early days in Bollywood. Kangana openly accepted that she was in a relationship with the Indian actor and producer Aditya Pancholi for four and a half years during which he abused her on several occasions.

When Kangana shared her story of being physically abused by Aditya, she revealed:

“I’m a year younger than his daughter. I was a minor.”

New in B-town and unaware of the power dynamics of celebrities, she put up with Pancholi’s behaviour for the sake of her career.

2. Aishwarya and Vivek Oberoi

After a much-talked-about break-up with Salman Khan, Aishwarya found love again in her Kyun Ho Gaya Na co-star Vivek Oberoi.

Vivek Oberoi, being at the top of his career then, helped her by providing a shoulder to cry on. Eventually, their relationship grew and both started dating. This time, Aish was cautious and never admitted to being in a relationship with Vivek however he continued to talk about her in the media.

This relationship took a shocking turn when Vivek called out Salman Khan’s harassment in a press conference. He openly spoke about receiving threatening calls from the actor because of his closeness to Aishwarya. This incident backfired on Vivek’s relationship with Aish and soon she dumped him. This took a toll on Vivek’s career and he never managed to climb up the ladder again.

3. Who is the Real Mother of Sonakshi Sinha?

Superstar Shatrughan Sinha’s daughter Sonakshi Sinha shares an uncanny resemblance to yesteryear actress Reena Roy. Interestingly, it is quite well known that Shatrughan Sinha was involved with Reena Roy before marriage.

Sources claim that Shatrughan Sinha had an extramarital affair with his ex-girlfriend when he was still officially married to Poonam Sinha. This affair resulted in the birth of Sonakshi who was accepted by Poonam to avoid media glare.

Rumour mills started ringing only after a stark resemblance was found in Sonakshi and Reena Roy after the actress came into limelight during her Bollywood debut.

However, Sonakshi has refuted these claims in interviews stating that her father’s affair had ended way before she was born.

4. Aamir Khan’s Love Child

Aamir Khan is often referred to as a perfectionist when it comes to his work.  On the personal front too, his relationship with second wife, Kiran Rao comes across as a happy one. But how many of you have heard about his lovechild?

Jessica Hines, a British writer best known for writing the biography of Amitabh Bachchan, titled Looking For Big B allegedly claims that Aamir Khan is the biological father of her son, Jaan.

According to reports, they first met and fell in love with each other on the sets of Ghulam. Although after finding out that Jessica was pregnant, Aamir refused to accept the child and asked her to either abort or forget the relationship claims the writer.

Jessica chose to let go of their relationship and gave birth to a beautiful boy. Hynes in an interview said:

“When my son grows up, I will tell him that his father didn’t like him.”

The boy is all grown up now and has pursued a modelling career in London.

5. Shilpa Shetty a Home Breaker?

One of the most appreciated women of Bollywood, in terms of fitness goals, Shilpa Shetty, has faced allegations of being a ‘home breaker’ when she married Raj Kundra.

Raj’s ex-wife claimed that Shilpa lured Raj with her beauty and was responsible for breaking their marriage. But Shilpa very adamantly spoke out against these allegations and stated that Raj Kundra was already divorced when they both started dating. “I’m not a home breaker,” said Shilpa.

6. Extra Marital Affairs of Rani Mukerji

Rani Mukerji and Aamir Khan’s sizzling on-screen chemistry in Ghulam (1998) set a lot of tongues wagging about their off-screen relationship.  It was also at the same time when Aamir Khan’s first marriage with Reena Dutta had hit a rough patch. While the duo has maintained that they are ‘4 Am’ friends, rumours suggest there was a romantic history between the duo for a brief amount of time.

Another popular affair that rattled tinsel town was between veteran Bollywood actor Govinda. The duo worked on several films together after first meeting on the sets of Hadh Kar Di Aapne (2000). Their affair was an open secret but eventually, Govinda decided to make his marriage work and broke up with Rani.

The success of Yuva (2004) and Bunty Aur Babli (2005) came from the pairing of Abhishek Bachchan with Rani Mukerji.  Leading to talks in tinsel town about the two dating and even the possibility of marriage. This affair took a dramatic turn as soon as Aishwarya Rai entered Abhishek’s life which later resulted in the Abhi-Aish wedding.

Buzz about Shahid Kapoor and Rani did make its rounds around the time of Dil Bole Hadippa! (2009) although it is said to be a mere marketing gimmick for the film.

Rani has kept mum over the years about her past relationships. It seems she doesn’t want even a single peck on her current marriage with Aditya Chopra.

7. The Kapoor Love Birds – Shahid and Kareena

Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor’s relationship is one of the most popular stories in Bollywood. 

The duo dated each other for almost three years and even went public about it. Their closeness on the film sets transcended well on-screen too.

The mutual admiration and love were witnessed by the audience on national television when Shahid and Kareena appeared together on Karan Johar’s popular talk show, Koffee With Karan.

So, what went wrong?

According to a report published on Miss Malini, Kareena’s mother Babita and present husband, Saif Ali Khan had roles to play in their breakup.

The report also stated, “Arguments, fights and constant interference from Babita drove Shahid to a point of no return. By that time, Kareena had given up on the relationship herself and was a regular fixture at Saif’s pad.”

8. Abhishek Bachchan was to marry Karisma Kapoor

Abhishek Bachchan is currently happily married to Aishwarya Rai and even has a 6 years old daughter. But was Aishwarya his first choice? The answer is huge No!

Two powerful clans of Bollywood – the Kapoors and the Bachchans were to come together with the engagement of Abhishek Bachchan and Karisma Kapoor.

In the late 1990s, while Karisma had proved herself as an actor and won accolades in the likes of a National Award to her credit, Abhishek was still struggling in the industry.

This led Karisma’s mother, Babita, to oppose Karisma and Abhishek’s union. Eventually, Karishma married businessman Sanjay Kapoor in 2003.

9. Shahrukh Khan’s alleged Affair with Priyanka Chopra

Shahrukh Khan has been married to Gauri Khan for 26 years now and has three children, Aryan, Suhana and the youngest of them, AbRam.

SRK and Gauri are often hailed as the perfect celebrity couple but not many are aware that there has been a rift in this relationship too.

During the filming of Don, Shah Rukh and Priyanka hit it off extremely well. Soon, Shahrukh started recommending her to producers for bigger roles.

Buzz is that he even forced people to invite PC at parties that he attended. Sparks were flying between the two and this was not taken well by SRK’s good friend-director Karan Johar who had a fall out with the superstar.

Apparently, after the shooting of Don 2 (2011) had wrapped up, Gauri asked SRK to stop working with Priyanka if he wanted their marriage to work and that’s when he ended the relationship.

Priyanka, on the other hand, left for America post the big break-up with Shahrukh. The duo hasn’t worked together in films ever since.

10. Aishwarya was to Star in Chalte Chalte, Not Rani

One of Bollywood’s biggest romances was Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai’s affair.

The former Miss World captured Sallu’s heart whilst they were working on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s romantic drama, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999). Although, their legendary romance took an ugly turn when Salman’s alcoholism and abusive behaviour started to hurt Aishwarya. Reports suggest that an over-possessive Salman started harassing Aish on calls and even turned up at her doorstep uninvited.

Unable to take the emotional burden and what people suspect Salman’s violent physical abuse too, Aishwarya called it off with the star.

During this time, the Bollywood film Chalte Chalte was being shot. Aishwarya was signed as the lead heroine alongside Shahrukh Khan. But after breaking up too, Salman continued to create havoc on the sets of Aishwarya’s film.

SRK grew intolerant with this unprofessionalism and also ran into a tiff with Salman that lasted for years. This resulted in Aishwarya getting replaced by Rani Mukerji in the film.

11. Was Kangana a Reason for Hrithik Roshan’s Divorce?

After the break up of his 14-year old marriage to Sussanne Khan, Hrithik was alleged to have developed a relationship with the Queen, actress Kangana Ranaut.

They were said to have come close during the shooting of the movie Krishh 3 and Kangana was said to be the reason behind Hrithik and Sussanne’s divorce.

But in an interview, Kangana opened up about the subject, in which she accepted her relationship with Hrithik Roshan was true. She said Hrithik couldn’t own up to their relationship in public because he was still married to Sussanne.

When she constantly argued with him to choose one of the women, Hrithik backed off and never admitted to the relationship with Kangana and they parted ways.

Years later, in an interview, Kangana referred to him as a ‘silly ex’ and this set off a storm of controversies about the duo. While Kangana accused him of harassing her over emails and even proposing her in Paris, Hrithik maintained that there never was any involvement with the actress and that she had been stalking him.

12. Is Salman Khan still a Virgin?

Bollywood’s Sultan was caught blushing in an interview with Karan Johar on the famous talk show, Koffee With Karan, Season 4. Why? Because Karan asked him if he’s good in bed!

Following the discussion, Salman gave a statement, “I’m still a virgin” which raised many eyebrows.

In Season 5, Salman was again invited along with his brothers Sohail and Arbaaz Khan. In a rapid-fire round, Arbaaz was asked to name an actor who cannot win “No Sex For A Month” award. He steadily looked at Salman and burst into laughter.

Well, considering Salman’s previous statement, Arbaaz did burn the show with his rapid answer.

13. Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha Love Story

The megastar of Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan apart from his marvellous acting prowess is also known to have been a womaniser during his time.

One off-screen romance that sparked off rumours of this superstar’s involvement was with Bollywood’s diva Rekha.

The beautiful and bold actress, Rekha was smitten by Mr Bachchan and confessed the same on a show saying:

“I was never impressed by the ordinary. And he was like something I had never seen before. I have never seen him, ever, express pain.”

However, they never accepted their relationship in public. In one of his interviews, Silsila director Yash Chopra confirmed their relationship.

Amitabh’s wife Jaya, on the other hand, is reported to have invited Rekha on a dinner and candidly spoke to her that she will never leave her husband. It is said that ever since Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan called it quits.

However, during his travel some years back Amitabh took a selfie with a pilot on a plane and Rekha appeared in the background on the same plane and image. So, speculation still continues about their relationship.

14. Rishi Kapoor bought a Filmfare Award

Veteran Indian actor Rishi Kapoor, aka Chintu, did win the Filmfare Award for Best Actor in 1974. However, he claimed that he bought the award in an interview with The Quint.

Also, in his autobiography book, Rishi states that he paid Rs. 30,000 to buy the award for himself in 1973 for his work in the blockbuster hit, Bobby.

Rishi was ‘bribed’ into coming into Hindi films when he was little.

There was a shot for the Raj Kapoor film Shree 420, which was walking along in rain. So, when he started doing the shot when rain fell on him, Rishi started to cry.

It was the Bollywood actress, Nargis, who took him to the side and said, I will give you a chocolate, if you do the shot and keep your eyes open and do not cry.

So, recalling that point, Rishi says in an interview, “I took up that bribe and kept my eyes wide open only for the chocolate and I have that shot!”

This was Rishi Kapoor’s entry into what became an established career in India cinema.

15. Superstitious Actors

Just like common Indian public, some of the top Bollywood actors also have superstitious beliefs.

Apparently, Amitabh Bachchan believes that if he watches a cricket match live, it will result in India’s fall of wickets.

The son, Abhishek Bachchan, on the other hand, believes that moving around during an on-going match can badly influence the outcome of the match.

Akshay Kumar flies out of the country before one of his films opens in the theatres because he thinks his presence will alter his movie’s box office performance.

Shah Rukh Khan follows numerology. The actor is known to have  555 in all of his vehicle numbers.

16. Lost Virginity at an Early Age

Actors like Ranveer Singh and Ranbir Kapoor have admitted that they lost their virginity at the age of 12 and 15 respectively.

Although not many female stars have made revelations about their active sex life, there have been reports stating Sunny Leone’s confession about her first kiss being at the age of 11 and that the actress lost her virginity when she was only 16.

Shilpa Shetty who made an appearance on UK’s popular reality show Big Brother, confessed while she was on the show that her first relationship was at the age of 22. When her co-contestants asked if that’s when she lost her virginity, the actress was seen smiling in a shy manner which suggests that it was in her 20s.

Director Karan Johar has famously stated in his biography, The Unsuitable Boy that he lost his virginity at the age of 26.

17. Prakash Raj became a Father at 50

Known for his splendid performances in South Indian and Hindi cinema, Prakash Raj was a divorcee when he fell for his choreographer, Pony Verma.

He had three children with his first wife, two daughters and a son. However, he lost his son in a dreadful incident. This broke the actor and his marriage fell apart soon after.

Heartbroken, he met Pony on the sets of his movie. Prakash married her at 45 and Pony gave birth to a boy after 5 years, named Vedhanth.

18. Bipasha and Boyfriends

Bipasha Basu is enjoying her beautiful marriage with Karan Singh Grover. But before that, the actress was involved in a string of unsuccessful relationships.

Bipasha dated Bollywood actor Dino Morea for 3 years during the time when both were big in the modelling industry. Later, she had a famous affair was with Jism co-star John Abraham. Their crackling chemistry on-screen was loved by the audience. Fans were disappointed when they didn’t continue their relationship and ‘Billo’ moved on to Harman Baweja.

She was also rumoured to have had a brief encounter with Christiano Ronaldo. A picture of them kissing had gone viral during Ronaldo’s visit to India.

However, she admits she hadn’t found true love until she met Karan Singh Grover. They married in 2016.

19. Karan Johar Responsible for Alia’s Weight Obsession

Karan on his radio show was asked if asking a celebrity to lose weight amounts to body shaming. This made him admit his mistake of prodding Alia Bhatt for losing weight.

Talking about the impact on Alia, the famous Bollywood film director and producer, said:

“She is in the gym every day and even if she puts on an extra kilo, she goes crazy. I think I am to blame for it.”

“Now that I’m a parent, I would never do this to Roohi and I would like to apologise to Alia”

20. Malaika Arora Khan shocked Arbaaz

Malaika Arora Khan and Arbaaz Khan were at the top of the Couple Goals list of B-Town until 2016. Then, due to some undisclosed reasons, they got separated.

Buzz is that Malaika was the one who asked for a divorce while Arbaaz consistently tried to save the marriage.

The most shocking turn to the story came, when Malaika asked for a minimum of Rs 10 crores as the divorce settlement amount. This left Arbaaz and his whole family, including Salman, quite astonished.

Arbaaz eventually agreed to pay off the amount with a heavy heart of unsuccessful attempts at saving the marriage.

We’ve given you 20 secrets from Bollywood amidst much more that we may just reveal in the future! So, for now, feel free to share these with your friends.