Shaktimaan taught values to ’90s kids, but Mukesh Khanna needs a lesson in letting go

For the proverbial 90s kids like us, Mukesh Khanna-starrer home-grown superhero series Shaktimaan became a rage within no time after its launch in 1997. And, Shaktimaan, the show’s ‘superhuman’ hero, became a force to reckon with children in a rather pied-piper way. And why wouldn’t he? Shaktimaan could knock down the bad guys, swoop down high-rise buildings to save falling people, turn weapons against the attacker with the power of his mind, and outwit villains in all episodes. On Sunday mornings, like most children in India, we would eagerly wait for the telecast of the serial on Doordarshan to watch Shaktimaan challenge Tamraj Kilvish (the Lord of Darkness), the chief antagonist, and his evil associates.

Our childhood vocabulary too had a smattering of Shaktimaan lingo – ‘Andhera Kayam Rahe’ (Let Darkness Prevail), the catchphrase used by Kilvish and ‘Thank You Shaktimaan’ and ‘Sorry Shaktimaan’ – imports from Chhoti Chhoti Magar Moti Baatein, a special segment aired at the end of each episode to impart moral and life lessons to children.

End of innocence, age of arrogance

Cut to the present and Khanna, now 66, is hell bent on trampling on those memories with his controversies and foot-in-mouth statements. And destroying the image and legacy he built, first through his character of Bheeshm Pitamah in BR Chopra’s Mahabharat, and later as Shaktimaan in the superhero series.

Not very recently, he wished upon himself a deluge of social media trolling by wantonly degrading the people of Odisha and Bihar through his remark that Prabhas and Deepika-Padukone-starrer futuristic film Kalki 2898 AD was beyond the intellect of residents of these states. His later clarification that he was referring to the “villagers” in these states offered little consolation.

Not learning from such gaffes, Khanna has yet again chosen to unleash his untamed tongue at public platforms. Such behaviour was on display at a recent press conference that was held to tease a reboot of Shaktimaan with a patriotic song for children. Khanna, who attended the event in full Shaktimaan costume, came with an energy that simply screamed — ‘No one but me!’ He snapped at reporters for cutting him off and didn’t flinch to denigrate fellow actors.

When mediapersons asked him if rumours of him making actor Ranveer Singh wait in his office for two-and-a-half hours were true, he didn’t end the topic with a dismissal, but fleshed it out to explain why the A-lister despite being a “terrific” actor with “great energy” was not a ‘Shaktimaan’ fit. It wasn’t necessary, but he also took a dig at Akshay Kumar for allegedly being unfit for the role of 12th century Rajput king Prithviraj Chauhan in the film Samrat Prithviraj.

While fans were appalled by his costume, the choice to sing the patriotic song himself and the dated animation used in the teaser, they wondered if he, considering his high standards and rejection of Ranveer, plans to reprise the character himself. The actor soothed nerves by stating that he had no such intentions and the hunt for a new Shaktimaan is still on.

Why so narcissistic, Shaktimaan?

In another interview with ABP’s Entertainment Live, Khanna denigrated actor Tiger Shroff — who incidentally played a superhero character in 2016 film A Flying Jatt — calling him a child who doesn’t have the stature or gravity to play Shaktimaan. Sample his statement:

“When Shaktimaan asks a child to flush the toilet, he would say ‘Sorry Shaktimaan’ and do it. But when Tiger Shroff says the same thing, the child would say ‘you sit down’. Because he (Shroff) is a child among children. He doesn’t have the stature that Shaktimaan enjoys. Pardon me, it’s not because of me, but because of the image. Shaktimaan isn’t just an action hero. He is a yogic purush (man) who must have gravity. He is made of five elements. He is no ordinary Arnold Schwarzenegger, nor has Iron Man’s suit nor is Superman from Krypton. He has got his shoes from earth, his outfit from water... You can imagine his powers. And I don’t want to throw that away with a face which does not match with the dress,” Khanna said in the interview.

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The internet and now-grown up Shaktimaan fans have not taken these comments lying down. While a section of fans have welcomed the reboot of Shaktimaan, many pointed out that Khanna is still a prisoner of a glorious past and doesn’t want to let go. Through comments like “Dear Kilvish, please save us from Shaktimaan”, “Buddha Sathiya Gaya Hai” (old man has gone bonkers), “Male Jaya Bachchan”, and “He is living in his old days, let Shaktimaan free”, netizens have tried to tell Khanna that it is time to move on and it is delusional to think that his version of Shaktimaan would cut the ice with the current generation.

As a childhood fan of Shaktimaan, it was painful for me to see an elderly Khanna being called a clown and age-shamed for wearing the heavy-looking superhero suit to the press conference – and much worse trolled for saying things that the Shaktimaan we knew would admonish us for.

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Khanna’s intentions to impart patriotic and moral lessons to the current generations may be sincere, but his approach — visible from the manner in which he has conducted himself so far — doesn’t seem to be the right one. It also goes without saying that his vocal calls for Hindu resurgence, snippets of which can be seen on his YouTube channel 'Bheeshm International', are bound to creep into his lessons in one form or another.

It is completely another matter who the next Shaktimaan would be and how he would tackle today’s generation. But for now, Khanna, must tone down on his narcissistic rants or better, as he told the media, “just keep quiet”, to avoid jeopardising future prospects of a Shaktimaan reboot. As Shaktimaan fans, we would want him to practise in spirit what he taught the kids of the 90s in his show and not ruin our childhood memories.