After five long years of being embroiled in a legal battle, veteran screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar and actress Kangana Ranaut have finally called it truce. On Friday, Kangana officially announced that the defamation case was resolved, and Akhtar later revealed that the actress apologised to him.

In his first statement after stepping out of the court, Akhtar reportedly mentioned that the two have agreed to withdraw their cases. "After all these years, the matters are finally settled. She has apologised for all the inconvenience caused to me. I will take back my case and she will take back her case," he said, as reported by India Today.

When asked if Akhtar finally felt at peace after ending the matter with Kangana, the veteran lyricist quipped, "I will pick up a new problem now."

On Friday morning, Kangana announced the end of the legal battle by sharing a happy picture with Akhtar. She wrote, "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," she added.

Kangana Ranaut and Javed Akhtar's legal battle

The legal battle between Kangana and Akhtar dates back to a meeting at the latter's residence in March 2016, around the time the Queen actress was at loggerheads with actor Hrithik Roshan, who happens to be close to the Akhtars. During the meeting, Akhtar reportedly urged Kangana to apologise to Hrithik, but the actress refused.

In 2020, following the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, Kangana publicly recounted the 2016 meeting and made some statements, which Akhtar found defamatory. He then filed a defamation complaint against her, and in 2021, Kangana countered it with her own complaint, accusing Akhtar of attempting to pressure her into apologising.