Kangana Ranaut and Javed Akhtar’s defamation case settlement was not mutual, reveals Shabana Azmi

NEW DELHI, MARCH 27 (ONLINE): After over four years of legal disputes, Javed Akhtar and Kangana Ranaut have settled their defamation case in a Mumbai court. Both parties withdrew their complaints following mediation, with Kangana apologizing and retracting her past statements. Shabana Azmi clarified that Akhtar sought a written apology rather than financial compensation, emphasizing the victory was due to the apology.Read More
Kangana Ranaut and Javed Akhtar’s defamation case settlement was not mutual, reveals Shabana Azmi: The apology in writing that he was seeking�
The legal battle between lyricist Javed Akhtar and actor Kangana Ranaut has finally come to an end after more than four years. In February 2025, both parties withdrew their complaints in a Mumbai court, putting an end to their long-standing dispute. However, actress Shabana Azmi has now revealed that the settlement was not as mutual as it appeared.
The beginning of the dispute
Javed Akhtar sued Kangana Ranaut in July 2020, claiming she had defamed him by linking his name to Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. Kangana later filed a counter-complaint, accusing Akhtar of criminal intimidation and insulting her modesty. Their legal battle lasted over four years before being settled in court.

After several court hearings, both sides agreed to mediation in February 2025. They appeared before the Bandra magistrate court in Mumbai along with their lawyers and decided to withdraw their complaints.
Kangana admitted that her previous statements were made due to a misunderstanding and apologized. She stated, “I hereby unconditionally withdraw all the statements made by me in the interview dated 19.07.2020 and thereafter, and I undertake not to repeat the same in the future.” Akhtar, in response, accepted her apology and agreed to withdraw his complaint.
Following the settlement, Kangana also posted a photo of herself with Javed Akhtar and wrote on Instagram, “Today Javed ji and I have resolved our legal matter (defamation case) through mediation. In the mediation, Javed ji has been very kind and gracious; he also agreed to write songs for my next directorial.”
Shabana Azmi reveals Javed Akhtar sought a written apology.
While it was reported the resolution was a mutual settlement, actress Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar抯 wife, recently clarified that Javed had sought an apology rather than any financial compensation. According to Bollywood Hungama, she said, “They had asked for no monetary compensation but for her apology in writing. The victory is his and his lawyer Jay Bhardwaj抯.”
She further added, “But I抦 mystified why the press made it seem as though it was a mutual settlement but did not mention that it was the apology in writing that he was seeking and why he had fought the case for four and a half years.”