Father figure

Despite sitting under the hot gaze of awe-struck fans and glaring heat of the video camera lights, the man was unruffled. His dandy brown suit with a flashy red scarf thrown in for dramatic effect did help his cool-dude look.

Khanna is in Pune to inaugurate a restaurant named after him.Flanked by the Urdu teacher from his FTII days and his friend Wasim Sanago, the restaurant owner, Khanna had to yell above the din to be heard.

So, how does he manage his larger-than-life image?
“Oh, I am used to all this. Even today, when I attend meetings I address the gathering with a ayushman bhava. I am requested by mothers-in-law to bless their bahus with a akhand saubhagyawati bhava. I live the Bhishmapitamaha image. I wanted to get over with it and Shaktiman happened.”

And life has never been the same. Because of this serial that Khanna has had even 15,000 people vying to get a glimpse of him at the BJP campaigns.

How does it feel to have a restaurant named after you?
“I was expecting this to happen sooner. I have launched a merchandising company that will sell Shaktiman as a brand. We will be selling Shaktiman outfits, toys, school bags, tiffins, compass boxes and so on. “Probably for the first time in films and TV, a character is being branded. A month hence, our outlet selling clothes will be ready. Quite an exciting phase for me.”

Children in an attempt to ape you have lost lives or been hurt. Do you feel any responsibility towards an audience that is highly impressionable?I would first of all like to clear this misconception that children have lost lives while trying to imitate Shaktiman. Do you seriously believe that a child of four or five can pour kerosene and burn himself? When the reports were out, Doordarshan gave us a notice to go off the air in four weeks. We employed the services of detectives and found out that the four incidents reported were not true. The person in Nashik who had lost his life was making tea and got burnt. He replied that he had not even heard of Shaktiman. This was corroborated by the local police. I won the case in the Bombay High Court and we are back to business as usual.

I don’t think that we are trying to mislead the kids in any way. I have even had an episode that showed the making of Shaktiman and have let my secrets out, that all that I do is simply a result of special effects. In fact, we inculcate good values in children. This is the only serial from where one can talk to kids. I tell them about yoga, about hygiene, good eating habits and so on. I have received several letters from mothers telling me that after I asked kids to drink milk, their kids who had an earlier aversion are now drinking it thrice a day.

When some gutkha companies started using the name to sell gutkha to the kids I repeatedly told them that it was a dangerous and bad habit. I have started a Shaktiman Friends’ Club where we use this to help kids get rid of their bad habits. If a child gives up being rude, biting his nails and so on, then we issue a medal Shaktiman Ke Dost’. As of now I already have more than thousand dosts. Don’t you think that this is responsible enough?

What is next on the agenda for you?
“I don’t think I can do much more, as Shaktiman is taking up all my time. I am planning a 3-D film on the same subject. Besides, the House of Shaktiman, the merchandising unit will keep me on my toes.