Kangana Ranaut Finally Reaches Ceasefire With Javed Akhtar In Defamation Case, Says 'He Was Gracious'

After a prolonged legal battle spanning 5 years, Kangana Ranaut and renowned lyricist Javed Akhtar have finally come to a mutually agreeable resolution in their defamation lawsuits against each other

After a prolonged legal battle spanning five years, actor-turned-MP Kangana Ranaut and renowned lyricist Javed Akhtar have finally come to a mutually agreeable resolution in their defamation lawsuits against each other.

Kangana and Javed Akhtar reach mutual understanding

On Friday, the actress, best known for her role in Queen, took to Instagram stories to announce the resolution of her legal dispute with Javed. Sharing a picture of the two, she wrote, "Today, Javed ji and I have resolved our legal matter (defamation case) through mediation. Javed ji was kind and gracious throughout the process, and he has also agreed to compose songs for my upcoming directorial project."

The legal confrontation, which involved over 40 hearings, had reached a critical point when Kangana was required to appear in Bandra Court. The case, which initially began at Andheri Metropolitan Court, had been transferred to Bandra. Reports suggest that the actress faced increasing pressure to attend court after missing several previous hearings. During the last session, the Bandra Court issued a final warning, threatening a non-bailable warrant if she failed to attend.

How the dispute began?

The dispute between the two began in 2020, following an interview where Kangana claimed that Javed Akhtar had pressured her to apologize to Hrithik Roshan, her former co-star, who had filed a legal case against her in 2016 over a public feud concerning their rumored relationship.

Reports also indicate that by December 2024, both parties had agreed to mediation to settle the matter amicably.

At the time, Kangana had told a news channel, “Once Javed Akhtar called me to his house and told me Rakesh Roshan (father of Hrithik Roshan) and his family are very big people. If you don't apologise to them, you will have nowhere to go. They will put you in jail, and eventually, the only path would be that of destruction… you will commit suicide. These were his words. He shouted and yelled at me. I was shaking in his house," 

Following Kangana's statement, Javed filed a defamation case against her that raged on for years. He told the court, “Whatever Kangana said in the interview is a lie and nothing but a lie.”

“I had told her about the agenda of the meeting on call. Didn't call her to discuss the weather, political situation or America election in 2016,” he said.