Mukesh Khanna has been in the news lately for hinting at his comeback as Shaktimaan as the actor was seen in his superhero costume. The actor had played Shaktimaan, who is considered India’s first superhero from 1997 to 2005 and now when the movie has been announced, he isn’t convinced about any new actor being cast in this role. He also wasn’t in the favour of Ranveer being cast as Shaktimaan. In his latest interaction with the media where he was seen in his Shaktimaan costume, Khanna also took a dig at Akshay Kumar and didn’t seem quite happy about his portrayal of Prithviraj.
Mukesh said, “Prithviraj Chauhaan why doesn't he like Akshay Kumar? Can't you just wear a mask and a wig? A song is needed.” He was further asked by a journalist about who he would like to see as Shaktimaan and he said arrogantly, “Chaliye aapko banaa deta hu.”
Here’s how netizens have reacted to Khanna’s statement. A user said, “When Dir @shankarshanmugh asked #AkshayKumar for a getup in #2point0, he used to prepare for 6 hours every day since 6 am. for makeup for a 10 min shoot every day for 25 days.Director of #Prithviraj, in the name of authenticity, didn’t realise that public perception of Prithviraj is not the same as the historical. #Akshay went ahead as per directors’ demand. Is he at fault? Yes, but partially. The director and producers should have realised that they are making commercial film and not a documentary.”
Some also felt Khanna was right while others trolled him. The actor was also trolled when he spoke about playing Shaktimaan again. He had “This is a costume within me…I think personally too, in my mind, this costume has come from within me…I did well in Shatimaan because it came from within me…Acting is all about confidence. I forget about the camera when I am shooting…I am even happier than the others about becoming Shaktimaan again.”
The internet thinks it’s time for him to move on from being Shaktimaan and allow some other younger actor to step in.