Mukesh Khanna Reveals Why He Rejected Yash Raj Films Aditya Chopra's Offer to Sell Shaktimaan Rights

Mukesh Khanna, best known for his role as Shaktimaan, recently made headlines after suggesting that Allu Arjun could be a great fit for a reboot of the iconic character. In a candid interview, Khanna also shared his thoughts on why Ranveer Singh wouldn't be an ideal choice, despite his talents. What’s more, Khanna revealed that he had once been approached by Yash Raj Films’ Aditya Chopra to sell the rights of Shaktimaan, but he turned down the offer.

In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan on his YouTube channel, Mukesh Khanna recalled, “Ten years ago, I was contacted by Aditya Chopra’s team. They asked me if I could give them the rights to Shaktimaan.” At that time, a fan-made image of Ranveer Singh dressed as Shaktimaan had gone viral on social media, which led to the call. However, Khanna wasn’t interested in selling the rights to the character.

Instead, Khanna made a counter-proposal, stating that he wouldn’t let the character be misused. “I told them, ‘Tell Aditya, whoever he is, if you want to make it, make it with me,’” he said. He was concerned that the character might be transformed into a ‘disco drama’ and did not want that for Shaktimaan’s legacy.

Khanna’s decision to retain control over Shaktimaan’s rights came from his desire to protect the character's integrity. He refused to give away the rights just to have it turned into something that didn’t align with his vision for Shaktimaan.

On a different note, Khanna shared his opinion on Allu Arjun being a potential Shaktimaan. While not confirming anything, he said, “Real life mein bhi acchi look hai, acchi height hai, sirf usko isme villain bana ke rakha hai." Khanna feels that Allu Arjun could definitely bring something fresh to the role.

Shaktimaan, one of the most beloved Hindi superhero TV shows, aired from 1997 to 2005. The show featured Mukesh Khanna, Vaishnavi Macdonald, and Surendra Pal, among others.