Mukesh Khanna, in his recent podact, said he could not imagine Ranveer Singh as Shaktimaan and ultimately rejected the proposal.
Published: August 27, 2026, 7:00 PM IST
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Mukesh Khanna and Ranveer Singh (PC-Instagram)
The casting of Ranveer Singh as Shaktimaan has been a subject of speculation for years, but Mukesh Khanna, who played the iconic superhero on television, continues to oppose the ideaIn a recent podcast with Subhojit Ghosh, Mukesh explained why he does not see Ranveer as the right fit for the role and revealed that he has even turned down crores over the issue.
Mukesh said he believes Ranveer could play Kilvish, the villain from Shaktimaan, but not the superhero himselfExplaining his reasoning, he said, “Ranveer Singh can play Dhurandhar, Gully Boy, Khilji but not ShaktimaanFor that, we need the right image and face, something he doesn’t haveHe has a mischievous face, a scheming faceShaktimaan has to be very positive, very positiveSo you’re right that I have said something like that about that actorI never said that he is a bad actor.”
Mukesh Khanna says Ranveer was keen to play Shaktimaan
Mukesh also recalled meeting Ranveer when the actor was being considered for the roleAccording to him, Ranveer was extremely enthusiastic and spent nearly three hours trying to convince him that he could play Shaktimaan.
He said Ranveer even sat on the floor while narrating his entire story, while Aditya Chopra later joined the conversationMukesh was impressed by the actor’s energy and said that, after Dev Anand, he had never seen an actor with such enthusiasm.
Despite Ranveer’s efforts, Mukesh said he could not imagine him as Shaktimaan and ultimately rejected the proposalHe admitted that he felt guilty about turning down an actor who was so eager to take on the iconic role.
Mukesh says he rejected crores over Shaktimaan
Mukesh further revealed that his decision had a financial costHe claimed that he had received the first cheque but stopped the second one, which was worth crores, because he did not agree with the proposed approach to the characterHe said, “No doubt, commercially, I am behaving like a stupid personI have held back a cheque worth crores, not lakhs, croresPeople in my own office told me, ‘Sir, take the chequeYou can fight later.’ I said, ‘Keep quietDon’t talk about this.’ I told them to waitI said, ‘I don’t want to do it.’ Money does not come before principles.”
Mukesh added that he had been told that he would be consulted about the film, but he was unhappy with a condition that the makers would ultimately do things their own wayHe said he feared the character could be shown in ways that would not match the image of Shaktimaan he had created.
“Suppose I take the money, and then there is drama over it?” he said, explaining why he decided not to accept the subsequent payment.
Shaktimaan film was announced in 2022
The big-screen adaptation of Shaktimaan was officially announced by Sony Pictures in 2022 as a film trilogyThe studio described the project as an attempt to bring an Indian superhero to the big screen.
While Ranveer has been widely linked to the project, his casting has never been officially confirmed by the studio.
Meanwhile, Ranveer has recently earned praise for his performances in Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar: The Revenge. The latter went on to become the second-highest-grossing Indian film of all time, behind Aamir Khan’s Dangal.
