Veteran actor Mukesh Khanna, who became famous as Bhishma Pitamaha in BR Chopra's Mahabharat and then the titular superhero Shaktimaan in the popular 1990s TV show, has made another statement regarding his role. In the past few years, there were conversations about the possible reboot of Shaktimaan with Ranveer Singh taking up the role of the superhero.
However, since then, Mukesh Khanna was unapologetically open and bold about casting Ranveer Singh, as he had earlier said, "He's a terrific actor, he has terrific energy. But I decide who plays Shaktimaan." He had also further mentioned in a post on X, "Without me there can not be other Shaktimaan. Since as Shaktimaan I have to create the Legacy of Shaktimaan."
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Recently, in an interview with Zoom, Mukesh Khanna opened up about Ranveer Singh taking up the role. While he praised the Dhurandhar actor for his versatility in acting, he did not see the 'face' of Shaktimaan in him. He said, "See why I am against this is that although he is a terrific actor, he is a terrific guy, has terrific energy, he can do Dhurandhar, he can do Gully Boy, he can do Khilji."
Recalling Prithiviraj Chauhan's role played by Akshay Kumar, he further added, "But in Shaktimaan, you need not just the actor but also the face. Like Prithviraj Chauhan should look like Prithviraj Chauhan when he stands, which Akshay Kumar did not look like in the film. They put on a wig and whatnot. When I played a historical character, it used to take me 1.5 hours just to change costumes. I used to wear a seven-inch crown."
Mukesh Khanna On Losing Money
In the same interview, Khanna also opened up about how he is losing money because he hasn't found an actor who would fit the role. He said, "It is my loss. I am losing crores of rupees as Sony is ready to give me crores of rupees. I said, ‘Wait, I don't want this cast.' They are adamant, and I am also adamant. They want a star, I don't want a star."
He explained that if he gets the chance, he would like to hold auditions all over the country to find a good-looking, perfect fit. "If I am allowed, I would conduct auditions across the country, 'Kaun Banega Shaktimaan' to find who will become Shaktimaan. You will get publicity and also find a boy who is good-looking, simple, and kind. For me, no actor who already has an image can become Shaktimaan," said Khanna.
The conversation about Ranveer Singh playing Shaktimaan has been going on for a long time. Many fans believed that Ranveer's energy would be perfect for the big-screen version of the superhero. However, with different thoughts from the original Shaktimaan, it would be interesting to see who would be the new face of the iconic Indian superhero.
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