Mukesh Khanna will always be remembered as Shaktimaan and he’s made the character iconic which is remembered since decades after the TV show had started in 1997. Shaktimaan is India’s first superhero and many people have a very emotional connect to this character as it’s a part of their childhood and growing up days. A few years ago, it was announced that ‘Shaktimaan’ is going to be made into a movie. While there was no confirmation on who will be the lead actor to play the titular role, rumours were rife that Ranveer Singh was set to play the character.
However, later there were talks that Mukesh Khanna doesn’t think Ranveer is apt to play Shaktimaan. Reflecting on it, actress Vaishnavi Macdonald who played Geeta Viswas on the show spoke about it. She revealed in an interview with Lallantop, “I am talking about 2016-17, I was called for Shaktimaan. And then that project went into film. That film has also been in the making for a long time. This was about Ranveer Singh, there have been many meetings with him. This has also come in the news, so it is not hidden from anyone. His (Mukesh Khanna) view is that no, he does not think that Ranveer Singh is fit for this role. He feels that Shaktimaan’s personal character should also reflect his onscreen character. This is what he believes.”
Vaishnavi is a fan of Ranveer though. She clarifies, “And in a way I want to tell you, I am not taking anyone’s side… I like Ranveer Singh, I am his fan. His acting is great and he fits in any role. He is one of my favorite actors. But what I want to say is what is Mukesh ji’s point of view in this thing, that nowadays there is a very thin line between social media, personal life and professional life. So you are what you reflect and all these things reflect on your personality. So he (Mukesh Khanna) wants to say that someone should be like him. He was Pitama Bhishma, then he transitioned to Shaktimaan.”
Ranveer and Khanna had also met but the latter had dropped a video saying that it was never confirmed that Ranveer was going to play Shaktimaan.