‘Held back a cheque worth crores’: Mukesh Khanna admits rejecting Ranveer Singh as Shaktimaan is ‘commercially stupid’

Mukesh Khanna suggested Ranveer Singh suits the villain role better and talked about preserving Shaktimaan's legacy over commercial gain.

The big-screen adaptation of Shaktimaan was announced in 2022, and Ranveer Singh has since been widely rumoured to play the iconic superhero. However, Mukesh Khanna, who immortalised the character in the hit television series, has repeatedly voiced his opposition to the casting. In a recent podcast with Subhojit Ghosh, Mukesh said he believes Ranveer would be better suited to playing the villain Kelvish rather than Shaktimaan. He also admitted that rejecting Ranveer for the titular role may be “stupid” commercially, revealing that he has turned down offers worth crores in the process.

Mukesh Khanna says he won't let Ranveer Singh play Shaktimaan.

Mukesh Khanna says Ranveer Singh can play Kilvish but not Shaktimaan

Addressing Ranveer’s suitability for the role, Mukesh said that he can play Kilvish because he has played the role of Khilji and added, “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 revealed that Ranveer was extremely keen to play Shaktimaan and spent nearly three hours trying to convince him. However, Mukesh eventually turned him down because he could not envision Ranveer as the superhero. He admitted that he even felt guilty about rejecting him, given how enthusiastic the actor was.

Recalling their meeting, Mukesh said Ranveer was incredibly energetic throughout their conversation. He revealed that the actor even sat on the floor while narrating his entire story, with Aditya Chopra later joining them. Mukesh was particularly struck by Ranveer’s energy, saying that, after Dev Anand, he had never seen an actor with that level of enthusiasm. He described Ranveer as someone who simply could not sit still, constantly moving around the room and jumping from one place to another.

He added, “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…’"

Mukesh explained that he feels responsible for preserving Shaktimaan’s legacy, even if his decision may not make commercial sense. He acknowledged that many people have argued that Ranveer is a versatile actor capable of taking on any role, pointing to his performance in Dhurandhar as an example. However, Mukesh said he could sense the audience’s "desperation" to see a big actor take on the iconic superhero role.

Ranveer recently received immense praise for his performances in Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar: The Revenge. The second instalment went on to become the second-highest-grossing Indian film of all time, behind only Aamir Khan’s Dangal.

About Shaktimaan film announcement

In 2022, Sony Pictures announced Shaktimaan as a film trilogy featuring the iconic Indian superhero. The announcement video was captioned, "After the super success of our many superhero films in India and all over the globe, it's time for our desi Superhero!" In a follow-up post, the studio wrote, “We are excited to join hands with Brewing Thoughts Private Limited, and Mukesh Khanna's Bheeshm International. Get ready for #ShaktimaanMovie; more details coming soon.”