Mukesh Khanna, known for being outspoken, has recently made headlines for his remarks about Shatrughan Sinha and his daughter, Sonakshi Sinha, regarding her lack of knowledge about the Ramayana. Both Sonakshi and Shatrughan responded strongly to his comments on her upbringing. In a recent interview, Khanna addressed accusations of him being overly critical, stating that while he is straightforward, he is not rude.

The Shaktimaan actor also shared his thoughts on Ranbir Kapoor being cast as Lord Ram in an upcoming adaptation of the Ramayana. Khanna remarked, “I prefer not to comment because people accuse me of voicing opinions about everyone. My reputation has taken a hit because of this. For instance, I recently spoke about Jackie Shroff’s son. I’m just someone who speaks his mind.” He said: comparisons with Arun Govil, the former performer of Lord Ram, are destined.

Khanna warned filmmakers to be very careful while casting someone for the role of Ram as Prabhas has been criticized for the same reason in Adipurush. He said, “Prabhas, though a superstar, is not accepted as Ram because, not for his acting but for visual hindrance as Ram. Same goes with Ranbir Kapoor, who, notwithstanding being a wonderful actor and the pride of the Kapoor family, has to look the part to portray Ram. In fact, even after doing a phenomenal role in Animal, audiences may find it hard to associate him with Ram.”

Khanna went on to say that even apart from all that, the person should have all qualities that Lord Ram has in them: “He has already set marks in gold. Anyone to act as Ram should now be Ram by merit. If the person offscreen behaves anything indecently, goes around partying or drinking, it will reflect on the screen as well. But it is not me to decide who should be cast as Ram.”