What started as a film together ended as one of the ugliest fights in Bollywood history. We are talking about Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut.
They first worked together in the film Kites in 2010 and then again in Krrish 3 in 2013. The rumours of them dating started after Hrithik officially separated from his wife Sussanne Khan in December 2013. For more than a year, both of them stayed silent and neither said yes nor said no.
Then in early 2016, in an interview, Kangana said she did not understand why her ex does childish things to get her attention. She did not take Hrithik’s name but everyone in Bollywood understood who she was talking about. That one sentence started one of the most bitter, public and legally complicated fights in the industry.
After her comment, Hrithik sent Kangana a legal notice. He asked her to say sorry in a press conference and to clear the air about their affair, which he said never happened. In his official statement, he explained that when private matters become public, people start making stories because they don’t know the full truth. He said out of respect for everyone, he chose the legal way to solve the matter quietly and he had remained silent for 2 years as he was advised to do so. His legal team also claimed that Kangana had sent him 1439 emails and that it was mental harassment.
Hrithik’s denial was very strong and public. He said that it was more likely that he had an affair with the Pope than with Kangana. He went on national TV to deny any relationship. He also posted a long note on Facebook on October 5, 2016. He pointed out that his passport records proved he never traveled to Paris in January 2014, which was the date Kangana claimed they got engaged there. Sussanne Khan also came forward and said that a private photo of Hrithik and Kangana that was going viral was fake, and it was actually taken at a party where many common friends were present.
In 2016, Hrithik filed a police complaint saying someone was pretending to be him and emailing Kangana from a fake email ID in his name. A case was filed under IPC Section 419 for cheating by impersonation and IT Act Sections 66C and 66D for identity theft. From the other side, Kangana’s lawyer said that her email account had been hacked before May 25, 2014, and any email coming from her account after that date should not be considered real. Both of them gave their electronic devices for forensic checking. The investigation went on for years but never got a final conclusion.
Kangana claimed that they were in a relationship for seven years while Hrithik was still married to Sussanne. She refused to apologise when Hrithik asked her to do so, saying she was not a foolish teenager. She sent a counter legal notice to him, warning him to take back his notice or she would file a criminal case against him. She also filed a complaint against Hrithik for allegedly misusing her private emails and photos from the time when she claimed they were together.
In his detailed Facebook post, Hrithik raised a question. He said it was strange that a seven-year-long love affair between two big stars had left no proof at all. He said there was no evidence, no paparazzi photos, no witnesses and not even a single selfie from their claimed engagement in Paris in January 2014. He said there was nothing to prove a romantic relationship. Actor Farhan Akhtar supported Hrithik through an open letter. He said Kangana had no messages, no photos, not even a picture of the alleged Paris engagement, and he asked why no one was questioning the lack of evidence.
In a surprising moment during the whole fight, when a trend called “Characterless Kangana” started on Twitter to target her, Hrithik posted a message saying it is wrong to judge someone’s character and people should control their anger and spread love.
In February 2021, five years after the first complaint, the Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch called Hrithik to record his statement. He went to the Crime Intelligence Unit at the Commissioner’s office, stayed inside for more than two hours and left without talking to the media. Kangana reacted on Twitter saying that the world has moved forward but her silly ex is still stuck at the same place where time will never return. The case was never fully solved.
Now, the old controversy has come back. In July 2026, Kangana called CJP protesters “Generation Gutter” and made controversial comments about the women who were part of the protests. CJP spokesperson Saurav Das replied in an interview with Barkha Dutt, saying his friends told him that Kangana was targeting him because he looks like younger Hrithik Roshan and his comment went viral instantly. Social media users started the “Sorry Hrithik” trend and started talking about the 2016 fight again.
Hrithik Roshan then replied in the comments section of Freddy Birdy’s Instagram post. He made it clear that he does not want people to take sides just because public opinion keeps changing. He said that discussions should be based on facts and not on emotions.
It is a quite complicated matter and we won’t take sides either.
