Mukesh Khanna wants someone new to play the role of Shaktimaan in the upcoming film of the same name.
Following his declaration that Ranveer Singh is unsuitable for the role of Shaktimaan on screen, Mukesh Khanna has further stated that there are many other veteran actors, who are also inappropriate choices due to their already-established images and personas. He emphasized that portraying a character like Shaktimaan, who serves as a role model for children, requires a ‘new guy’ to be launched.
In a conversation with a YouTube channel, Digital Commentary, Mukesh Khanna stated that he had heard rumours of Shah Rukh Khan playing the titular character in the forthcoming film. “Neither Shah Rukh Khan, nor Ajay Devgn or Akshay Kumar or Tiger Shroff can become Shaktimaan. Because the face that’s needed for Shaktimaan; none of them have it. Because they have a certain image,” Khanna said, adding, “We need a Shaktimaan who can teach the kids. I feel there should be a new guy, if you ask me.”
Additionally, the veteran actor also disclosed that discussions with Star India for another series based on the character right after the original show’s success were going on. However, that didn’t materialize. He expressed regret, but stated that it was more of Star India’s loss than his own.
Furthermore, he provided an update on the film, suggesting that the makers are still in the process of developing the storyline. “If we make a movie, we still don’t know what the story will be. There are so many people, the Sony people… the conversation about the rights is still going on,” he said, further adding, “Shaktimaan is not just a serial or even Avengers, Shaktimaan is our mythology.”
This statement about a few Bollywood actors not being fit for the role of Shaktimaan comes a few days after Khanna had rejected Ranveer Singh to play the role. He acknowledged that he had heard rumours and seen various reports stating that the ‘Don 3’ star would be playing the mythological character. He decided to speak up about it and further stated that an actor who is perceived a certain way, no matter how popular he is, can never play Shaktimaan. Khanna took to his Instagram to post about it, but seeing the controversy it stirred up, has since deleted it.
The ‘Shaktimaan’ film was announced in 2022 with Sony Pictures India as producers. However, no specific details including cast and plot have been revealed yet.