Javed Akhtar reveals Kangana Ranaut's lawyer asked if she could call him a 'father figure' after apology: 'I told them I don't want to be a father figure to such a beautiful girl'

Veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has finally broken his silence on the legal battle and eventual apology from Kangana Ranaut. The two had been locked in a defamation case for nearly five years, which began in 2020 after Kangana allegedly made defamatory remarks against Akhtar in a television interview. In 2025, Kangana offered an unconditional apology in court, an act Akhtar says brought closure to the matter.

In an interview with The Lallantop, Javed Akhtar recalled the day of the court hearing when Kangana submitted her apology. “Yes, we met that day in court. She wrote an unconditional apology before the judge and signed it. I never asked her for money — not Rs 50 crore, not even five rupees. I had only asked for an apology, and she gave it in front of the judge, who signed it too,” he said.

The conversation took a light-hearted turn when Akhtar shared an unexpected moment from that day. “After the court hearing, we spoke. While leaving, she said I should write songs for her next film. I said, ‘Why not?’ Then her lawyer asked if they should write in the statement that she respects me a lot and sees me as a father figure. I told them not to add that — I don’t want to be a father figure to such a beautiful girl,” Akhtar added with a smile.

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Akhtar also stressed that the issue is now behind him. “Everything was resolved. She gave the written apology I had asked for and also promised never to speak about me in such a manner again. There was no personal enmity. What she said earlier was baseless, and she accepted that. So why hold on to it? If I meet her again, I’ll greet her warmly.”