Hrithik Roshan And Kangana Ranaut Feud Explained: From "Silly Ex" To Saba Azad Remarks
What happened between Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut? Explore the complete feud timeline, from the "silly ex" remark to the latest Saba Azad controversy.
Nearly a decade after their intensely public dispute dominated headlines, Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut are once again at the centre of a social media storm. This time, the spark did not come from a film, an interview about their alleged relationship or a fresh legal notice. Instead, a separate political controversy involving Kangana, a joke comparing another man to a young Hrithik and a viral “apologise to Hrithik” post unexpectedly dragged their old feud back into public conversation.
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Hrithik’s response to the viral trend was relatively measured and did not directly attack Kangana. However, Kangana interpreted his remark as an attempt to provoke her. She subsequently addressed him through Instagram Stories, accused him of adding fuel to the online trolling against her and even brought his current partner, actress-singer Saba Azad, into the exchange.
The latest episode has left many wondering why the two stars fell out in the first place. From a rumoured romance and the infamous “silly ex” remark to legal notices, disputed emails, an impersonation complaint and years of conflicting statements, we take a look back at the complete timeline for Hrithik Roshan-Kangana Ranaut feud.
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2010-2013: Hrithik And Kangana Work Together
Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut first shared screen space in ‘Kites’, which was released in 2010. They later reunited for Rakesh Roshan’s ‘Krrish 3’ in 2013, starring alongside Priyanka Chopra and Vivek Oberoi. Rumours claiming that Hrithik and Kangana had grown close began circulating around the period of the superhero flick. The speculation intensified after Hrithik and his then-wife Sussanne Khan announced their separation in December 2013. Their divorce was finalised in November 2014.
However, the alleged relationship was never publicly confirmed by Hrithik. Kangana has consistently maintained that the two were romantically involved, while Hrithik has repeatedly denied that any relationship existed. Their opposing accounts eventually became the central issue in one of Bollywood’s most bitter public disputes.
2014: Mysterious Email Address Enters Story
The dispute later became centred around an email account that Hrithik said did not belong to him. According to Hrithik’s version, Kangana approached him at Karan Johar’s birthday party on May 24, 2014, and thanked him for an email praising her performance in ‘Queen’. Hrithik claimed he told her that he had not yet watched the film and that the account from which she received the message was not his. He said he then gave her his genuine email address.
Hrithik claimed that Kangana subsequently sent numerous messages to his real account. His initial legal notice referred to 1,439 emails, while his later public statement spoke of approximately 3,000 allegedly one-sided messages. He maintained that someone had been impersonating him through the address hroshan@email.com and said he first approached Mumbai’s cybercrime authorities about the account in December 2014.
Kangana presented a completely different account. Through her lawyer, she claimed the private email address had been created and given to her by Hrithik himself so they could communicate discreetly. Her side also alleged that Hrithik had accessed her email account and deleted messages that could have complicated his divorce proceedings. Hrithik denied these allegations.
January 2016: Kangana’s “Silly Ex” Remark Starts Public War
The simmering rumours exploded into a public controversy in January 2016. Reports had claimed that Hrithik was responsible for Kangana no longer being associated with ‘Aashiqui 3’. When questioned about the speculation during an interview, Kangana did not name Hrithik but said she did not understand why “exes do silly things” to attract attention, adding that the chapter was over for her.
Hrithik responded on X, saying there was a greater chance of him having had an affair with the Pope than with any of the women to whom the media was linking him. Although Kangana had not named him, his response led readers to connect her “ex” remark directly to him.
February-March 2016: Hrithik Sends Legal Notice
On February 26, 2016, Hrithik sent Kangana a legal notice through his lawyer. He denied having been in a relationship with her and accused her of creating a false impression that they had been romantically involved. The notice reportedly demanded that Kangana publicly apologise and clarify that no relationship had existed. It also outlined Hrithik’s allegations concerning the false email address and the messages sent to his genuine account.
Kangana refused to apologise. On March 1, she issued a lengthy counter-notice accusing Hrithik of intimidation. Her response argued that she had never explicitly named him while making the “silly ex” remark and that his own reaction had caused the public to assume she was referring to him. Her side continued to insist that the relationship had been consensual and that the disputed email account had been given by Hrithik.
2016: Disputed Emails Become Police Matter
Hrithik subsequently pursued his impersonation complaint with the Mumbai Police. An FIR was registered against unidentified persons under provisions concerning impersonation, identity theft and cheating through a computer resource. The Bollywood star maintained that the case was not a relationship issue but a cybercrime matter involving an unknown person pretending to be him. Kangana’s position remained that there was no impersonator and that she had been communicating with Hrithik through an account he had provided.
Investigators sought access to electronic devices and email records as they attempted to trace the account. The inquiry encountered difficulties because the disputed email service and related technical information were based outside India.
The emails also became a major subject of public debate after alleged extracts were reported by the media. Kangana’s legal team described the circulated material as unverified, out of context and taken from accounts that she claimed had been compromised. Hrithik’s side maintained that the messages supported his account that the communication had been one-sided.
Photograph That Fuelled More Speculation
During the dispute, a photograph showing Hrithik and Kangana embracing at a party also circulated online and was presented in some reports as evidence of their closeness. Hrithik’s representatives argued that the image had been cropped from a larger group picture, removing the other guests and context surrounding the moment. Additional photos from the gathering later surfaced, showing other people – including Sussanne Khan – at the same event. Sussanne publicly supported Hrithik’s position and described the cropped image as misleading. Like the emails, it became another piece of material interpreted differently by both camps and their supporters.
Hrithik Condemns Anti-Kangana Trend
Despite their public spat, Hrithik objected when a derogatory hashtag targeting Kangana began trending in May 2016. The trend used terms such as “characterless” and “publicity hungry” against her. Hrithik urged people not to participate in it and asked them to channel their energy towards something constructive.
Investigation Reaches Dead End
The original cyber investigation failed to identify the person behind the disputed account. Reports said investigators submitted a “NIL” report after failing to secure sufficient leads, partly because the relevant email account was hosted in the United States.
2017: Kangana Revisits Alleged Relationship
The feud returned to the headlines in 2017 when Kangana discussed Hrithik in a series of interviews. She maintained that they had been in a relationship and demanded an apology from Hrithik and his father, Rakesh Roshan. Around this period, reports also revisited an alleged engagement in Paris in January 2014. Hrithik disputed the story and said his passport showed that he had not travelled outside India during that month. It is important to note that the Paris story had initially been attributed in media reports to an unnamed person described as Kangana’s friend. Kangana’s lawyer later argued that Kangana herself had never publicly made that specific engagement claim.
October 2017: Hrithik Gives His Version
After remaining relatively quiet for months, Hrithik issued an extensive statement in October 2017. He said he had never met Kangana alone and denied that they had shared a years-long relationship. Hrithik argued that there was no photographic, or witness evidence supporting the relationship claim. He also cited his passport to counter the reported Paris engagement story and described the circulated emails as one-sided.
He said he had submitted his laptops and phones to investigators and wanted the cybercrime authorities to determine whether an impersonator existed. Hrithik subsequently appeared in an interview to explain why he had decided to speak, saying that his silence had allowed one version of the story to dominate the narrative.
Kangana’s lawyer rejected his arguments, maintaining that an absence of photographs did not disprove a private relationship and alleging that Hrithik had deliberately prevented such photographs from being taken.
2020-2021: Hrithik’s Complaint Transferred To Crime Branch
The matter resurfaced in December 2020 when Hrithik’s 2016 impersonation complaint was transferred from the Mumbai Police Cyber Cell to the Crime Intelligence Unit of the Crime Branch. The transfer followed a letter from Hrithik’s lawyer, Mahesh Jethmalani, raising concerns about the lack of progress in the investigation. The complaint remained against unidentified individuals accused of creating a false email account and communicating with Kangana while posing as Hrithik.
On February 27, 2021, Hrithik visited the Crime Intelligence Unit and recorded a statement. Kangana reacted publicly, referring to him again as her “silly ex” and accusing him of remaining stuck in the old controversy.
January 2026: Kangana Looks Back At Controversy
At the beginning of 2026, Kangana briefly referred to the controversy while participating in the viral ‘2026 is the new 2016’ trend. She recalled receiving a controversial legal notice from a colleague in 2016 and described that phase as emotionally difficult despite the professional success she was enjoying at the time.
But who would have known that only months later, the dispute would unexpectedly return to the headlines.
July 2026: Political Controversy Brings Hrithik-Kangana Back Into Conversation
The latest chapter began with a controversy unrelated to Hrithik. Kangana faced criticism over remarks concerning young women and student protesters, including her use of the phrase “Generation Gutter”. She then became involved in a public exchange with Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Saurav Das, calling him “totally useless and unemployed”.
During an interview with journalist Barkha Dutt for The Mojo Story, Saurav responded by saying his friends had jokingly suggested Kangana was targeting him because he looked like a young Hrithik Roshan.
The remark immediately connected Kangana’s current political controversy to her most famous personal feud. Memes, old clips and posts about the Hrithik-Kangana dispute began circulating again, with some social media users claiming that changing perceptions of Kangana meant Hrithik deserved an apology.
Hrithik Responds To ‘World Owes Him Apology’ Post
Influencer Freddy Birdy joined the discussion by sharing an Instagram post declaring that the world owed Hrithik Roshan an apology. Hrithik commented on the post, but his response did not simply endorse its message. He cautioned against supporting one person merely because public opinion had turned against another. He said he would rather wait for the right context, supported by facts, before accepting such a conclusion.
Kangana Hits Back And Mentions Saba Azad
Kangana responded through Instagram Stories and directly addressed Hrithik. She said she was happy that he had found his “perfect match” in Saba Azad and that the couple looked good together. She then accused Hrithik of “teasing” her through his comment and said he should instead condemn people who were allegedly bullying and harassing her using his name. Kangana asked him to stop adding fuel to the controversy and “embarrassing” his partner.
