Lucky Ali apologises for remarks against Javed Akhtar, says he’s ‘sorry for hurting anyone’s monstrosity’

Days after calling Javed Akhtar “ugly as f**k”, singer Lucky Ali on Wednesday reiterated his criticism of the veteran lyricist and screenwriter — this time issuing what appeared to be a tongue-in-cheek apology.Lucky Ali wrote on social media, “What I meant was that arrogance is ugly... it was a mistaken communique on my part... monsters may have feelings too and I apologise if I hurt anyone's monstrosity.”The exchange began earlier this week after a video of Javed Akhtar went viral, in which he urged Hindus “not to become like Muslims” while discussing freedom of expression in India. In response, Lucky Ali commented on an X post sharing the clip, saying, “Don’t become like Javed Akhtar, never original and ugly as f**k.”

Javed Akhtar’s original comments

In the viral video, Akhtar spoke about a memorable scene from the 1975 classic Sholay, which he co-wrote with Salim Khan, where Dharmendra’s character speaks to

Hema Malini

while hiding behind a Shiv ji idol. He remarked that such a scene would not be possible in today’s climate.

The lyricist further said, “As a matter of fact, I’m on record — Raju Hirani and I were in Pune in front of a big audience and I said, ‘Don’t become like Muslims. Make them like yourself. You are becoming like Muslims. It’s a tragedy.’” Lucky Ali’s reaction has since divided the internet, with some supporting his outburst and others calling it disrespectful toward the veteran writer.