Actor Mukesh Khanna, who recently held a strange press conference dressed in the costume of his iconic character Shaktimaan, took to social media to clarify some statements he made at the event.
At the conference, Mukesh was asked if reports of him making Ranveer Singh wait for hours at his office are true. It was previously reported that Ranveer would be playing the role of Shaktimaan in the film reboot.
“No. I didn’t force him to wait. He sat for three hours because he wanted to,” said Mukesh to the media. He came to my office. We enjoyed each other’s company. He’s a terrific actor, he has terrific energy. But I decide who plays Shaktimaan. Producers cast actors, an actor can’t cast a producer. You come to my office and say that you want to be Shaktimaan, it’s not allowed.”
Mukesh said that Ranveer is still desperate to play the character. “You’ll say that there needs to be a big name playing Shaktimaan, but that’s not true. To play Shaktimaan, you need to have a face for it. Tell me, why didn’t Akshay Kumar make for a convincing Prithviraj Chauhan? He wore a wig and a fake moustache.”
Later, in a social media post, Mukesh clarified. “I have come to clarify a misconception which a section of my viewers are started having that through this song and press conference I had come to declare to the world that I will be the next Shaktimaan. Totally wrong. Let me explain.”
He continued, “Firstly why should I say I will be the next Shaktimaan. I am already the Shaktimaan. There would be another Shaktimaan only when there is a Shaktimaan. And I am that Shaktimaan. Without me there can not be other Shaktimaan. Since as Shaktimaan I have to create the Legacy of Shaktimaan. Secondly I have not come to prove or show that I am better than Ranveer Singh or any one who will wear the mantle of Shaktimaan. Become the next Shaktimaan.”
He said that he dressed up as Shaktimaan only because he wanted to pass on messages to the youth, and felt that they would connect with someone who has been linked with the character for decades. “So rest assured new Shaktimaan will come. Who will he be. I can’t say. Because I even don’t know. Hunt is still on,” he said.
The television show Shaktimaan aired from 1997 to 2005. Sony Pictures India announced a Shaktimaan film in 2022. Ranveer was supposed to play the lead while Minnal Murali filmmaker Basil Joseph was rumoured to be directing.