A public exchange has ignited between singer Lucky Ali and veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar, stemming from a resurfaced video of Akhtar’s remarks about religious identity. Ali initially condemned Akhtar, calling him ‘ugly as f**k,’ before issuing a peculiar apology that referenced the idea that ‘monsters may have feelings too’ and apologizing for hurting anyone’s ‘monstrosity’.
The viral video shows Javed Akhtar speaking at an event about democratic values and freedom of expression. During his speech, he stated, ‘Don’t become like Muslims. Make them like yourself. You are becoming like Muslims. It’s a tragedy.’ This sentiment quickly drew widespread attention online.
Lucky Ali reacted strongly to the clip, posting his ‘ugly as f**k’ comment in response to the video. His critique was contextualized within Akhtar’s broader speech, which touched upon artistic expression and societal changes, referencing a scene from the classic film ‘Sholay.’
On Wednesday, Ali took to X to offer a more nuanced, albeit unusual, apology. ‘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…….’ he wrote. This statement sought to clarify his initial harsh critique while maintaining a distinctive tone.