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Actor Mukesh Khanna, who recently held a bizarre press conference in full costume as his iconic character Shaktimaan, has clarified some of the statements he made at the event. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the actor wrote that he cannot decide who will take over the mantle of Shaktimaan from him, and stressed that he didn’t mean to disrespect Ranveer Singh by calling the press conference. Ranveer has long been attached to the role for a planned feature film reboot.
At the conference, Mukesh Khanna was asked if reports of him making Ranveer wait for hours at his office are true. He said, “No. I didn’t force him to wait. He sat for three hours because he wanted to. 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 made some clarifications about his comments. “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 has been linked to the part since then, while Minnal Murali filmmaker Basil Joseph was rumoured to be directing.
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