Everyone sensed a cold war between Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut for a while now. But reportedly, this seems to have gone too far and has turned into a messy scene. The actors, who have worked together in two films (Kites and Krissh 3), were also rumoured to be a couple, but they have never spoken on this. Reportedly, 10 days ago Hrithik sent Kangana a legal notice for defamation and also sought from her a public apology. Kangana has retorted with a 21-page reply that accuses the actor for intimidating and threatening her. Our sources said that it is so far a civil matter and no FIR has been filed from both sides. We reached out to Kangana's lawyer, Rizwan Siddiquee, who refused to divulge any details. Hrithik's lawyer Dipesh Mehta, too, remained unavailable for comment.

For those of you who came in late, here is the back story. A few months ago, Kangana reacted to reports of Hrithik ousting her from Aashiqui 3 by saying, “Many lame rumours are doing rounds, even a dumb ass can tell where these rumours are coming from. I don't know why exes do silly things to get your attention. For me that chapter is over and I don't dig graves.“

Post that Hrithik tweeted, “There are more chances of me having had an affair with d Pope than any of the (I am sure wonderful) women the media has been naming. Thanks but no thanks...“ (sic). Soon after this, in an exclusive interview to Bombay Times, when asked about the actor's tweet, Kangana said, “I am not sure it was targeted at me, but even if it was I can't question someone else's feeling. I have nothing to say about that, but generally speaking, when it comes to human emotions and equations - there are no rules. Everyone should follow their instinct, and it is not about who is right or wrong. Having said that, I feel when two people amicably decide to end an equation, they must give it a dignified closure and stick to it.“ While all this was said in the past, currently both the actors are not commenting on the new turn of events.
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 He claims she stalked him on email; that she has Asperger's Syndrome, and is very vexed that she called him her 'silly ex'. She claims he hacked into her email to delete their private correspondence; that he is narcissistic, and labels his allegations 'dim-witted'
Sunil Baghel & Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 16, 2016)

The war of words between superstars Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut has turned nastier with Hrithik accusing her of stalking him online by sending up to 50 e-mails a day, some of them explicit in nature; and Kangana striking back alleging that he had hacked into her email account to delete mails that could have complicated his divorce proceedings.

The charges and counter-charges, which earlier were flying across twitter accounts, are now contained in two legal notices - first issued by Hrithik seeking an apology from Kangana for referring to him as her "silly ex", and the second sent by her charging him with a clumsy attempt to cover up a relationship.

The fight between the two stars, who have acted together in two films - Krrish 3 and Kites - started with a Kangana interview in which, while reacting to incessant rumours about the breakup being responsible for her ouster from Aashiqui 3, she had said: "Yes, many lame rumours are doing the rounds, even a dumb ass can tell where these rumours are coming from. I don't know why exes do silly things to get your attention. For me that chapter is over and I don't dig graves."

The next day, Hrithik took to Twitter to set the record straight. "There are more chances of me having had an affair with the Pope than any of the (I'm sure wonderful) women the media has been naming. Thanks but no thanks."

But the confrontation, with the legal notices, has now taken a proportion that even Bollywood, where mudslinging is a well-practiced pastime, is struggling to come to come to terms with. What's in the public domain, and more is expected, is staggering - Kangana sharing details of parties hosted by Hrithik with 'select' guests; Hrithik talking about a scene created by a drunken Kangana at the outdoor shoot of Krrish 3; Kangana making public a 'secret e-mail ID' Hrithik created to communicate with her; and Hrithik referring to an illness Kangana suffers from that makes her imagine things.

1,439 emails

In the legal notice sent by Hrithik, through his lawyer Dipesh Mehta, the actor alleges that he has a record of 1,439 mails from Kangana, most of them "senseless, personal, and absurd." The notice says that the actor tried to ignore the emails for the longest time and did not respond to even a single one of them.

The notice at one point also suggests that Kangana seemed to have been communicating with an imposter thinking he was the real Hrithik. The notice says that Hrithik realised this when Kangana, at a party thrown by Karan Johar in May 2014, thanked him for appreciating her performance in Queen. When he told her he had not seen the movie, she gave him the email address on which she had been communicating with him. That's when Hrithik claims he gave her his real email address. And that's when, he alleges, she started sending him a barrage of emails everyday.

Kangana, however, has denied this and alleged that Hrithik had created a special e-mail ID to communicate with her. This, her notice says, was done to make sure his divorce proceedings with Sussanne Roshan were not impacted.

She has claimed that the email ID on which she was communicating with Hrithik till May 2014 was given to her by him, and not by some third party. She has also claimed that her name was getting linked with Hrithik even before he divorced his wife therefore a desperate effort was made by him to hide everything, including hacking into her mail box to get rid of the incriminating exchanges.

Mental disabilities?

While Hrithik's notice claims that Kangana suffers from Asperger's syndrome which makes her imagine things, Kangana has accused him of having his own mental issues. And for this, Kangana has done some math. A paragraph in her notice goes like this:

"Your client (Hrithik) has claimed to having received 50 emails a day from the day Kangana got to know of the correct email id till the date of sending the notice. This totals to 601 days and therefore there should have been 30,000 mails as opposed to 1,439 mails claimed in the notice. This fact further proves the exaggeration and false claims made by your client."

Kangana's notice also says that she is not some dim-witted teenager who has been smitten thereby causing her to send one-sided love missives. "It is pertinent to record that your client throughout supported my client and fully involved her; he also did not make any attempt to block her. There is no communication from him to my client objecting to any emails. This proves that he received the emails with his participation and consent," the notice says.

The fall out

The seeds of acrimony between the two stars were sown when Kangana had a fallout with her mentor, director Anurag Basu, over her reduced screen time in Kites, the ill-fated Roshan home production. Things seemed to have resolved when the actors came together for Krrish 3, with Kangana playing the antagonist, a performance that got her plenty of accolades. However, in the three years since, they haven't reunited on screen and the chemistry between them seems to have become history. But the rumours of them seeing each other, off and on, persisted.

Papa Roshan dragged too

Hrithik's notice says that Kangana was so obsessed with him that at one point she called his father, actor-producer Rakesh Roshan. The notice says: "You have misconstrued our client's silence and dignity as a weakness and started being more and more impudent. You had the audacity to call his father and give him advice on how to handle his son, who, you said, is chasing you via mails and phone calls. His father also explained and conveyed to you that you had misunderstood the situation and that our client is not interested in you."

Kangana's notice, however, gives details of all the parties she attended where Hrithik invited only close friends and family, including a lavish do organised to celebrate his sister's birthday. Her notice says: "That she was invited to a private birthday party in January 2011 'with select guests' establishes the fact that your client was not only professionally associated (with her) but was also personally close. And this was before she signed Krrish 3. She also attended your sister's birthday party in January 2012."

Kangana's notice also refers to her own birthday party which Hrithik attended with his wife and kids in March 2013. "Pursuant to this my client attended your father's birthday party in September 2013, which was a private affair with select guests. These facts are sufficient to prove that my client was never a stranger to your client or his family, and therefore your client blatantly cannot deny the same to suit his convenience," the notice adds

Senior film journalists describe the powwow between the two stars as embarrassing and churlish. "It's very stupid and childish. I believe that once an affair is out in the open, one should come out and acknowledge it. I don't mean everyone should come out and speak of his or her affair, but once it's there then it's better to speak about it. Ultimately no one is benefiting out of this," said senior journalist Indu Mirani.

Trade analyst Amod Mehra said it's important to have respect for fellow actors. "This is very unfortunate. When we work in the same industry, there has to be some mutual respect for each other. I don't know who started this, but whoever did is very shallow. I believe whatever happens between two co-stars should remain between them. Just because we have social media today, it isn't right to misuse it in such a way. Since we want to survive in the same industry, such things shouldn't happen. It's very sad," he said.

No apologies

Kangana's notice, issued through lawyer Rizwan Siddique, says she does not feel the need to call any press conference or inform the people from the print or electronic media and make any statements as per Hrithik's unwarranted and uncalled for demand to clear the air. "She does not feel the need to give any statements on the social networking accounts as demanded by your client. She never needed the name or reputation of your client to garner publicity, therefore your client should fully realise and face the truth that my client herself is a well-known celebrity who has achieved stardom on her own, despite being the first generation in this business and in the light of these apparent facts your client should immediately accept the truth and withdraw the notice containing absolutely untenable, baseless and wild claims and allegations."

To Hrithik's threat to reveal his communications with her, the notice says: "If he circulates her emails, images and/or other material which your client willingly received in good faith from my client then upon such circumstances it shall be rightfully deemed that your client is wilfully seeking to not only defame her and issue unwarranted threats. These actions shall be taken 'extremely seriously.' She will then have no option but to file criminal proceedings against your client, at his risk, costs and consequences."

Kangana's notice ends with an ultimatum - "withdraw your notice within seven days of receipt of the reply."

But one does get a feeling that any of this is not ending in seven days or even seven weeks. This saga is likely to play long and ugly.
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In a strange move, Hrithik Roshan sent a legal notice to Kangana Ranaut for “ defaming” him; refusing to cower down, the actress hits back
Saurabh Vaktania & Shubha Shetty Saha (MID-DAY; March 16, 2016)

The tiff between Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut plumbed new depths on Tuesday, with the former sending a legal notice demanding a public apology for defaming him and the latter responding in kind with a 22-page missive of her own. The two were rumoured to have been a number, and differences surfaced when they slammed each other in public in January, albeit without naming each other. Hrithik’s notice, however, seems to refer to the January interview where Kangana said, “I don’t know why exes do silly things to get your attention.” Sources said the legal notice, sent on February 26 through advocate Dipesh Mehta, alleges that Kangana is trying to create an image in the film industry, print and social media of her and Hrithik having had a relationship.

Hrithik’s side alleges that there was no such relationship and that she has been been trying to propagate false ideas to gain cheap publicity. Source close to Hrithik suggest that the controversy erupted on May 24, 2014, when they met at Karan Johar’s birthday party. Kangana approached Hrithik and thanked him for appreciating her work in Queen (2014) for which she had won a National Award. Hrithik said he had never congratulated her and nor has he seen her movie.

Hrithik’s side says he informed Kangana that there has been some misunderstanding and that the email id hroshan@email.com from which Kangana had been getting e-mail was that of an impersonator. Hrithik, in fact, also informed that he interacts with friends, celebrities and fans only through his personal id hroshan@***.com.

Incidentally, Hrithik had, in December 2014, registered a complaint with the Juhu police and the Cyber Crime Cell against an unidentified person who is impersonating him and chatting on his behalf with people. Hrithik has apparently claimed that even after he had clarified he had never conversed with Kangana, she began sending emails to his original email id. Sources alleged Kangana had sent “ titillating, absurd and videos to Hrithik’s original email id.”

It has also been claimed that Kangana has been sending an average of around 50 e-mails a day and a total of 1439 mails. Sources claimed Hrithik had not replied to even a single mail from Kangana.

They said the actress had called his father Rakesh Roshan and advised him to handle his son who she alleged has been chasing her through mails and other mediums. The actor has also said that Kangana, in a drunken state during the shoot of Krrish 3 in Jordan, created a ruckus demanding to meet Hrithik on the sets. Later, as she sobered down, her sister Rangoli apologised for her behaviour, sources said. She too apologised.

Sources claim there was no “personal, social, platonic or intimate relationship between Hrithik and Kangana.” Hrithik has alleged that Kangana has been trying to “exploit his popularity, fan following, goodwill to gain publicity.” He alleged that she has been making “cheap, embarrassing, false and misleading statements in the media.” Hrithik had given Kangana seven days’ time to hold a press conference and tender an apology. Advocate Mehta refused to comment.

On receiving this four-page notice, Kangana responded with a 21-page missive of her own on March 3, asking for a reply within seven days. She has accused him of spreading “bogus, false, misleading and blatant lies.” According to her side, at Karan Johar’s birthday party, when Hrithik told her that he had not been the one with whom Kangana has been conversing, she felt cheated and hurt. Sources said that as per Kangana, Hrithik’s claim was ridiculous as it was he who had shared those email ids with her. Kangana alleged that she has done two movies — Kites (2010) and Krishh 3 (2013) and their affair has been on public domain. They have been very close to each other and also sent personal invitations to each other on their respective birthday parties. Since Hrithik was married then, he had visited Kangana’s party with his entire family i. e., his wife Sussanne and two kids. In return, Kangana attended Hrithik’s party with her sister Rangoli in tow. This, Kangana’s side claims, is more than enough to prove that there was a personal relationship between the two.

Kangana has alleged Hrithik “took advantage of his impending divorce to play with her emotions.” Justifying why she sent personal videos and photographs, Kangana’s side alleged that if she has been sending such mails in bulk it was because the two were in a relationship.

About Hrithik’s allegations that she was seeking cheap publicity out of this episode, Kangana’s side said that “In her 10- year career she has done lots of films, has gained enough publicity which has made her one of the highest paid actors that had bagged her several awards till date.”

Many ups and downs
Except for stray rumours and a whiff of gossip in between, the couple had largely been successful in keeping their association hidden and away from the glare. The couple reportedly started out as friends, after meeting for the first time on the sets of Kites (2010). Hrithik was rumoured to be involved with Barbara Mori, the other star in the film, at that time and this led to some tension between him and his wife, Sussanne. It was during this time that Kangana and Hrithik were said to have come closer as friends and gradually went on to become special friends.

Apparently, after three years of blissful togetherness, the couple started having issues. But then they shared such a passionate relationship that it was not easy for either of them to let go too easily. So, despite the differences and bitter fights, the two kept getting back to each other after brief spells of separation. However, what the two of them probably hadn’t been prepared for was their love secret spilling out the way it did in January this year.

Apparently stating that he’s a big celebrity with close to 14 million Twitter followers and many hit films to his credit, Hrithik’s lawyers have demanded that Kangana give him due respect and stop maligning his name, since they shared a strictly professional relationship. Amusingly, contradicting his own claim, the notice apparently also mentions that if she doesn’t apologise, Hrithik will be forced to reveal the private communication that she’s had with him over the years.

Kangana has clearly said in her response that she never mentioned anybody’s name in her interviews, so the question of defaming him or her apologising publicly doesn’t arise. Also, her notice says that she doesn’t need publicity using Hrithik’s name because she is a celebrity herself with two National Awards among other achievements and honours under her belt.

Sources close to the couple say that it would be difficult for Hrithik to prove that they have not had a personal relationship as Kangana was very much part of his life, and she was a key person in making arrangements for Hrithik’s sister’s 41st birthday party and his dad’s 60th birthday bash. She was also seen at the Roshan home on several other occasions.

According to sources, this could be Hrithik’s way of getting back at her and forcing her back into a relationship that she is trying to move on from. Or it could be his way of shunting her out of his life for good. He might have not expected Kangana to respond by slapping a fatter legal notice on him. Sources say he now plans to hold a press conference to put his point across. Whatever it is, it sure is sad that a friendship ended up so bitter in the course of six years.

Kangana and Hrithik were unavailable for comment while the actress’ lawyer Rizwan Siddiquee refused to speak on the issue.