Actor Mukesh Khanna has strongly opposed the decision of casting Bollywood star Ranveer Singh as Shaktimaan. He believes that only a fresh face has the potential to do justice to Shaktimaan. Khanna said that actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Ranveer Singh, who have star value, won’t portray the character convincingly.
Why did Mukesh Khanna reject Ranveer Singh as Shaktimaan?
Sony Network is reportedly eager to bring the popular television series Shaktimaan to the big screen as a high-budget theatrical film, with Ranveer Singh being considered for the lead role. However, original Shaktimaan actor Mukesh Khanna has claimed that he rejected the offer, saying he was not convinced by the proposed casting.
In a conversation with Subhojit Ghosh, Mukesh Khanna said, "Why should I move on? I have made Shaktimaan." Khanna said that he has blocked both Sony India and Sony International from making the film. He added that Ranveer Singh would be better suited to play the antagonist Kilvish, citing his performance as Khilji in Padmaavat.
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Khanna noted, "Ranveer Singh can play Dhurandhar, Gully Boy, Khilji but not Shaktimaan. For that, we need the right image and face, something he doesn’t have."
"He has a mischievous face, a scheming face. Shaktimaan has to be very positive, very positive. So you’re right that I have said something like that about that actor. I never said that he is a bad actor," Mukesh Khanna continued.
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Khanna said that Ranveer was deeply interested in playing Shaktimaan and spent three hours trying to convince him. "He was so energetic that during those three hours, he sat here and told his whole story. He sat down on the floor. Aditya Chopra came from behind. I was… and suddenly, I was amazed."
Praising Ranveer, Khanna said, "I have never seen a more energetic man than him. After Dev Anand saab, this is the one actor I have seen with so much energy. He just cannot sit still. If he sits here, he’ll go there; from there, he’ll jump onto the table; then he’ll go somewhere else."
Mukesh Khanna further said that he has kept cheques on hold. He said, "No doubt, commercially, I am behaving like a stupid person. I have held back a cheque worth crores, not lakhs, crores. People in my own office told me, ‘Sir, take the cheque. You can fight later.’ I said, ‘Keep quiet. Don’t talk about this.’ I told them to wait. I said, ‘I don’t want to do it.’"
"Money does not come before principles. I said, ‘Suppose I take the money, and then there is drama over it?’ I haven’t taken it, because my second cheque was about to come, and I stopped it. I had taken the first one, but I stopped the second cheque. I said, ‘I had told you that you would make Shaktimaan only after consulting me.’ Now they have put in a condition saying, ‘No, sir, we will consult you, but we will do things our own way.’ I said, ‘That is not done. Tomorrow, you’ll show him dancing in a disco. Tomorrow, you’ll make him do something else…’" he said.
FAQs
Are there other actors in discussion for the role of Shaktimaan?
Industry rumors suggest alternative options like Allu Arjun or Ranbir Kapoor are being considered by the studio to salvage the high budget.
What is the budget of the movie?
The film is planned on an international scale with an estimated massive budget ranging between ₹300 crore to ₹400 crore.