Veteran actor Mukesh Khanna has shared his views on the planned reboot of the superhero character Shaktimaan. Known for his direct opinions, he recently spoke about why he does not support casting Ranveer Singh in the role, even though he appreciates his acting abilities.
In an interview with Zoom, Mukesh Khanna praised Ranveer Singh’s performances in different films but explained his concerns about casting him as Shaktimaan. He said, “See why I am against this is although he is a terrific actor, has terrific energy, he can do Dhurandhar, he can do Gully Boy, he can do Khilji.” According to Khanna, the role of Shaktimaan requires more than just acting skills. He believes the character also needs a specific look and personality.
He gave an example while talking about historical roles and said, “But in Shaktimaan, you need not just the actor but also the face. Like Prithviraj Chauhan should look like Prithviraj Chauhan when he stands, which Akshay Kumar did not look like in the film. They put on a wig and whatnot. When I played a historical character, it used to take me 1.5 hours just to change costumes. I used to wear a seven inch crown.”
During the same discussion, Mukesh Khanna also mentioned that his decision is affecting him financially. He said that Sony Pictures is ready to move forward with the project, but there is a disagreement over casting. He shared, “It is my loss. I am losing crores of rupees as Sony is ready to give me crores of rupees. I said, ‘Wait, I don’t want this cast.’ They are adamant, and I am also adamant. They want a star, I don’t want a star. If I am allowed, I would conduct auditions across the country to find who will become Shaktimaan. You will get publicity and also find a boy who is good looking, simple, and kind. For me, no actor who already has an image can become Shaktimaan.”
Meanwhile, Ranveer Singh is currently seeing success with Dhurandhar The Revenge, which has performed strongly at the box office. The casting decision for the new Shaktimaan project is yet to be finalised.