Shaktimaan is said to be India’s first superhero and has been a significant part of many people’s childhood. It was a one-of-a-kind show that has left an indelible mark on the psyche of children and adolescents of the time.
Recently, it was reported that actor Mukesh Khanna, who played the iconic character of Pandit Gangadhar Shastri aka Shaktimaan, is in the process of reviving the show with a contemporary sequel and is in talks with various channels.
Soon after, fans suggested names of popular actors who can play the superhero in the new version. Bollywood’s action star Tiger Shroff’s name was one of them. However, Mukesh is not convinced. He feels that Tiger doesn’t have the spiritual face that is needed to play the character.
“It’s not the action that made Shaktimaan popular. It was because of his superpowers, messages and values of life,” he told Mumbai Mirror.
He also said that none of the big stars like Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn or Akshay Kumar can fit in the role of Shaktimaan as they already have an image. The actor stressed that he is not hell-bent on playing the superhero again but they have to figure out how to bring the new version. “For me, Shaktimaan is still as iconic as it was in 1997. I am still known as Shaktimaan. It has to be made keeping me in it. It is difficult casting even for us. When we were working on the new version of Shaktimaan, this point didn’t get cleared because of the coronavirus outbreak,” he added.
But there’s one thing Mukesh is sure about while making a Shaktimaan sequel. He doesn’t want to make the new version like Ekta Kapoor’s Mahabharat by putting a tattoo on Draupadi’s shoulder.
“The new version of Shaktimaan cannot be the way Ekta-Kapoor made Mahabharata (in 2008) by putting a tattoo on Draupadi’s shoulder. She had said that she was making Mahabharata for modern people. ‘Sanskriti kabhi modern nahi ho sakti, putri. Jis din Sanskriti ko modern karoge, khatam ho jayegi’. We will talk about new issues and problems – like today’s problem with the kids, environmental problems, addiction to technology, etc in the new version of Shaktimaan,” he sa id.