Mukesh Khanna reveals if Amitabh Bachchan's one remark 'saala copy karta hai' ruined his career: 'We never...'

Mukesh Khanna, who famously played Bhishma in the cult classic TV series Mahabharat and also portrayed the desi superhero Shaktimaan, has shared if comparisons with Amitabh Bachchan affected his career in the Hindi film industry.

Speaking to Pinkvilla Hindi Rush, Mukesh said, "I starred in one advertisement. It was an ad where I put on perfume, and girls turned to look at me. A person told me he was present when this ad was being played in a theatre. He was Amitabh’s friend. And Amit ji has a certain style. He told me that Amit ji saw the ad and said, ‘Saala copy karta hai (He’s copying me).’ You can call me self-respecting or stubborn, but I told that man, ‘Pagal hai tu, woh aisa bolege? (Are you mad? Do you think he’d say this?)’ But that sentence stayed in my mind." When he was asked if such comparisons made between him and Amitabh ruined his Bollywood career, Mukesh replied, "We never worked together, but to say that Amitabh Bachchan finished my career is a nonsensical statement made by somebody."

In the same interview, Khanna was asked about his claims that he would be a better Shaktimaan on the big screen than Ranveer Singh, who was supposed to play the desi superhero in the film adaptation. Khanna said, "They got carried away by saying I claimed to be better than Ranveer Singh. It’s so stupid to think I’d say I’ll continue as Shaktimaan in the future. If I had any plans, I would’ve started two years ago. I was available, and my dates were open."

Mukesh Khanna doesn't want Ranveer to play Shaktimaan on the big screen and hence, the project has been stuck since Sony Pictures India made the announcement of Shaktimaan film in 2022.