Bollywood actor-turned-politician Kangana Rano and veteran lyricist Jabed Akhtar successfully resolved a long-term defamatory case through mediation and ended a four-year legal battle.
In the incident, which began in 2020, both parties retracted their complaints and provided mutual apology.
The conflict came when Javed Ahtar filed a honour-loss complaint against Kangana Ranath in July 2020, accusing him of causing damage to his reputation by dragging his name into the controversy surrounding the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
In a media interview, Kangana Rano mentioned the existence of “kotery” in Bollywood and mentioned Akhtar as part of the group. This led Akhtar to claim that his reputation was hurt by Kangana Rano’s statement.
Kangana Ranaut responded with countercompraint, accusing Javed Akhtar of shaming criminal intimidation and humility during the 2016 meeting. She claimed that Javed Akhtar had pressured his co-stars to apologize. The legal battle escalated as both sides filed complaints with each other, leading to a lengthy court proceeding.
After years of legal disputes, the parties chose to mediate and appeared in a special court in Mumbai on Friday to inform the court of its decision to resolve the dispute. In a report filed in court, Kangana Ranaut admitted that her statement during the July 2020 interview was made due to “misunderstanding.”
She unconditionally retracted the statement made about Javed Akhtar and expressed regret at the inconvenience caused to him. Kangana Ranaut also conveyed her respect for Javed Akhtar, calling him “one of the senior members of the film’s fraternity,” emphasizing that she kept him to the highest respect.
Kangana Rano’s statement in the mediation report read, “I hereby unconditionally withdraw all statements I have made…and I promise not to repeat the same thing in the future.” She also offered an apology for the inconvenience caused by Javed Akhtar, highlighting her respect for him in the film industry.
In response, Javed Akhtar agreed to withdraw his defamation loss complaint, accepted Kangana Ranaut’s apology and said he was satisfied with the settlement. The mediation process was deemed successful, and the parties expressed their desire to move further from the conflict.
Additional Attorney General Ak Awari, who was the main side of the Special Court, accepted the statements of the parties and disposed of all complaints filed with each other.
The court acquitted both Kangana Ranaut and Javed Akhtar and the case was officially closed. In that order, the court noted that the parties agreed to resolve the dispute and withdraw the complaint before the mediator.
After court proceedings, Kangana Ranaugh took her to social media to share her thoughts on the resolution. In an Instagram post, she expressed her gratitude to Javed Akhtar and described him as “kind and elegant” during the mediation process.
Kangana Ranaut also revealed that Javed Akhtar has agreed to write a song for his next directorial project.
“Today, Javedji and I resolved our legal issues (the delinquent case) through mediation. In mediation, Javedji was very kind and elegant. He also agreed to write a song for my next director,” she wrote in a caption with a photo of herself with Akhtar.
Kangana Ranaut’s lawyer Rizwan Siddiquee and Javed Akhtar advocate Jay Kumar Bhardwaj confirmed that the matter was resolved after an hourly mediation session before the Special Magistrates’ Court in Bandra. Siddiquee added that the parties exchanged draft settlements over time and ultimately agreed to the terms, leading to the withdrawal of both cases.
The case was first heard in Andeli Magistrates’ Court, and was moved to the Special Magistrates’ Court in 2024 after Kangana Rano was elected as a member of the Assembly (MP) of Mandi Lok Sabah Constituency in Himachal Pradesh. The issue was delayed for some time due to ongoing legal proceedings and the obligations of Ranaut’s Congress.
The Honor Loss Case attracted a lot of attention from both the media and the public as it involved two well-known figures in the Indian film industry. However, after a long battle, both Ranaut and Akhtar are amicably solving the issues through legal means, marking the end of a controversial chapter in their professional lives.