Like in the past, in 2009 too Bollywood was buzzing with controversies and scandals. From Shiney Ahuja's arrest in a rape case to Shah Rukh Khan's detention at a US airport, there was as much action happening off the screen as on it. Here's looking back at some of the people and events that kept the Bollywood cauldron simmering. June 14, 2009:

It was by far the biggest Bollywood scandal of the year. All hell broke loose after actor Shiney Ahuja was detained and later arrested for allegedly raping his 19-year-old domestic help at his Andheri residence. Shiney, who has acted in films like Hazaroon Khwaishe Aishi and Gangster, is currently out on bail after spending 110 days in jail.

Strict conditions have been imposed on the actor by Justice AP Deshpande of the Bombay High Court, who has ordered Shiney to live outside Mumbai, but not leave India till his trial begins in a fast-track court in Mumbai. On two occasions, lower courts in Mumbai had rejected Shiney's bail application and he had been lodged in the Arthur Road Jail where Pakistani terror accused Mohammed Ajmal Amir alias Kasab is also lodged.

If the charges against him are proved in court, Shiney faces a seven-year jail sentence. His wife Anupam and his lawyer have maintained that he is innocent and is being framed. Some reports hinting at consensual sex also surfaced, making the matter murkier. August 15, 2009: It was an incident that provoked the collective outrage of a nation. Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan was reportedly interrogated for over two hours after American immigration officials spotted the 'Khan' in his name. He was allowed to go only after Indian Embassy officials vouched for him.

The actor was on his way to Chicago to attend a function to mark India's Independence Day when the incident took place at Newark airport.

Ironically it was a case of life imitating art for Shah Rukh whose forthcoming film My Name is Khan also has a similar plot. In the film he plays Rizwan Khan, a Muslim in San Francisco, who is arrested and detained when authorities mistake his disability for "suspicious" behaviour.

While there were widespread protests in India against Shah Rukh's detention, actor Salman Khan dismissed the matter as trivial: "It is not such a big deal, when we go there we too have to go through the security check. There have been no attacks there since 9/11 because of their stringent security measures. I think it is a good thing (the security)," Salman was quoted as saying. Shah Rukh himself tried to play down the incident upon his return to the country and said he wasn't seeking an apology from American officials. June 5, 2009: The row between Bollywood producers and multiplex owners over revenue sharing ended two months after producers and distributors decided not to push any new releases in multiplexes on April 4. The standoff reportedly led to losses of over Rs 300 crore for the industry, and audiences had to make do with reruns and old releases.

Trouble began in February over revenue sharing. While the producers demanded a flat 50 percent share of all film revenues irrespective of the stars, budget and box office collection, the exhibitors stressed on sharing profits based on the earnings of a film.

According to the final settlement, 50, 42, 35 and 30 per cent for the first, second, third and fourth week respectively for all movies will be shared between the two parties. Interestingly, the dispute brought together Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan on the same platform in April.

Both actors advocated a partnership of equality. "It should be a partnership of equality. Fifty percent sharing is fair. Distributors and exhibitors have to find a way to make it a viable business within their fifty percent. Within my fifty percent I have to make it profitable," Aamir said at the press conference that also had industry veterans like Ronnie Screwvala, Mukesh Bhatt and Karan Johar, among others. "We are here for fair rights for Friday nights," Shah Rukh asserted. March 30, 2009: It was meant to add a naughty zip to the Lakme Fashion Week, but Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar's gesture asking wife Twinkle Khanna to unzip his jeans during the show has led to a police complaint against him for alleged obscenity. A female model was to unzip the 41-year-old as he walked the ramp at Tarun Tahiliani's Levi's show in Mumbai on March 30, but Akshay decided to let his wife do the honours instead.

Although Akki later apologised for the act, both he and his wife were arrested under section 294 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code for alleged obscene behaviour.

They were later released on bail. According to reports, Akshay is miffed with Anil Naik, who filed a case against him and his wife Twinkle for obscene behaviour in public. Naik had earlier filed similar obscenity complaints against Milind Soman, Madhu Spare and Mamta Kulkarni. April 2009: The film industry was agog with tales of Hrithik Roshan and wife Suzanne Khan splitting, ostensibly because of the actor's growing affinity to his 'Kites' co-star, Mexican actress Barbara Mori. Hrithik rubbished the reports, claiming he was having 'a picnic' with Suzanne and their kids.

A leading Mumbai tabloid reported that Hrithik and his wife had parted ways when she had moved to her parents' house. 'It is too funny! Yes, Suzanne shifted to her parents' place with the kids two days ago and I was to join her on my return as there is a white ant treatment going on in my house and a section of my floor is being renovated. I'm with Suzanne right now having a picnic with my wife, kids and in-laws,' Hrithik said in a press release.

Later in the year, the couple made an appearance at the HDIL India Couture Week in October. Any lingering doubts about trouble in the Roshan household were laid to rest as Suzanne blew kisses to her husband while walking the ramp for her sister and jewellery designer Farah Khan. May 2009: Trouble erupted after maverecik filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma twisted the words of the Indian national anthem 'Jana gana mana' to 'Jana gana mana Rann' for his forthcoming film Rann, starring Amitabh Bachchan. Varma, known for courting controversies, defended his right to adapt Rabindranath Tagore's composition for his film: "I have not tinkered with the national anthem.

Tinkering would be if I would have shown it in bad light. I haven't done anything of this sort.

Through this song, we are talking about the disputes in the country but there were no intentions to ridicule anything." While the censor board instructed Varma to refrain from telecasting the promo with the 'Jana gana mana Rann' track, producers Madhu Mantena and Sheetal Vinod Talwar had registered a civil case in the Mumbai High Court against the board's ruling.

In December Ramu announced his decision to defuse the controversy by replacing the Rann song. "There was no point defending the song on and on. Enough noise was being made and it was best to replace it with something else and move on. I can now say that the entire controversy is pretty much left behind," Varma said. The filmmaker has chosen to replace 'Jana Gana Mana Rann' with 'Vande Mataram' in the final cut and said that the track will play in the background.

Varma insisted he wasn't courting fresh trouble by exchanging the national anthem for the national song: "Not at all. What we have used of 'Vande Mataram' are just these two words. I don't see anything controversial in this since it stands for 'Bow to thee, Mother'. Tell me, what's wrong in using that?"