Mukesh Khanna Slams Kalki 2898 AD Makers For Depicting Mahabharata Inaccurately, Demands Probe

Mukesh Khanna is known for being candid with his opinions on cinema and pop culture. The actor, who played the role of Bhishma in BR Chopra’s Mahabharata, has shared his mixed review of the recently released Kalki 2898 AD. Directed by Nag Ashwin the film combines elements of science fiction with Mahabharata. Set 6000 years after the Kurukshetra war, the movie stars Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan. Khanna, in a YouTube video, has slammed the makers for incorrectly depicting elements of Mahabharata. 

Mukesh Khanna points out inaccuracies in Kalki 2898 AD 

In a YouTube video uploaded on his channel, Mukesh Khanna shared his critique of Kalki 2898 AD. The actor said in Hindi, “One thing that is bothering me is that they have tried to change the mythology in the film. In the beginning, you see Lord Krishna come, and take the gem from Ashwathama's forehead, telling him that he will be my saviour in the future, Lord Krishna never said this. I want to ask the makers, how could you presume to know more than the Vyas muni, who said that what doesn’t exist here cannot exist elsewhere?” 

He then corrected the narrative and shared, “It wasn’t Krishna who removed Ashwatthama’s ‘mani’. I’ve been reading the Mahabharata since childhood; I can tell you that it was Draupadi who instructed that his ‘mani’ should be removed, after he killed all five of her children.” He added the reason that made him infuriated about the movie. The actor said, “The reason I’m telling this story in such detail is because I don’t understand how Krishna could command Ashwatthama to protect him in the future in Kalki? How can someone as powerful as Krishna ask someone like Ashwatthama to protect him? “ 

‘The liberties that you’ve taken are inexcusable’, says Mukesh Khanna to Kalki 2898 AD makers

In the same video, the veteran actor demanded a government official or a committee to look into whether movies based on Indian epics are depicting the stories correctly or not. He added, “The liberties that you’ve taken are inexcusable. We think that South filmmakers have more respect for our traditions, but what happened now? I would like tell the government to make a committee which can look over the films that are being made on Ramayan, Gita, and other mythological topics and take control over the film's script if needed.” 

Kalki 2898 AD hit the big screens on July 27. The film has been a rage at the box office and has broken several records since day 1. The Prabhas starrer is inching closer to minting Rs 1000 crore at the box office.