Javed Akhtar tells court what happened the night he called Kangana Ranaut to his house

Lyricist-poet Javed Akhtar revealed in court what exactly happened the night he met actor Kangana Ranaut at his home. He said that Kangana knew why she was called and ‘politely’ agreed to come with her sister. (Also read: Javed Akhtar on making controversial comments in Pakistan)

In 2016, Javed Akhtar called Kangana Ranaut to his home to give her some advice on her public spat with Hrithik Roshan. Later in 2020, she said in a television interview that he had threatened her for speaking on the issue, following which Javed filed a defamation suit against her.

What Javed told court

As per an India Today report, Javed told the Andheri metropolitan magistrate court in suburban Mumbai on Tuesday that he did not know Kangana at the time. It was their common friend Dr Ramesh Agrawal, who wanted to advice Kangana on what to do about her feud with Hrithik Roshan.

Javed said, “It is true that I did not know Kangana and I have nothing do with the ongoing controversy with Hrithik. But Kangana was called by Dr Agarwal who had a close relationship with her. He could call her and insist on her to meet.”

He added, “It is true to say that Kangana was not ready to listen to my words and she left the house with her elder sister Rangoli. It is not true to say that she was upset with my statement despite politely coming for the meeting.”

Javed says Kangana knew what the meeting was about

In the court, Javed was asked whether Kangana and her sister Rangoli came to his house “obediently”. As per PTI, he responded by saying, “You expect obedience from Kangana, it is not called obedience, but possibility for something… some kind of a solution. Physical reality is they came to my house, but obedience is a notion only in mind.”

“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. He said though he did not know Kangana personally, he had always liked her work as an actor, but in the meeting he changed the topic once he realised she was not going to listen to him.

What Kangana said in the interview

In the interview given to a news channel in 2020 after the death of Rajput, among other statements, Kangana had claimed Akhtar asked her to apologise to co-star Hrithik Roshan, who in 2016 filed a lawsuit against her seeking an apology after public spat over a statement on their alleged relationship. “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,” Kangana had told the news channel.

Javed told the court, “Whatever Kangana said in the interview is a lie and nothing but a lie.”