The original ‘Shaktimaan’ Mukesh Khanna filed a complaint against South filmmaker and actor for using the character in their film
Deepa Soman and Anna Mathews (BOMBAY TIMES; September 18, 2019)
A few days ago, Malayalam filmmaker Omar Lulu had shared a glimpse from his upcoming film Dhamaka, that had South actor Mukesh in the garb of the Indian superhero Shaktimaan. However, Bollywood actor Mukesh Khanna, who played Shaktimaan originally, filed a complaint against the director to Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA), requesting the union to stop the filmmaker from using the character in the film, failing which he would initiate legal action.
When we contacted the filmmaker, he said, “It was used just for a fun sequence that is about 10 seconds long. We aren’t reproducing the character; in fact, we used it as a mark of appreciation to Shaktimaan.” Talking about the sequence, which has some youngsters imagining Mukesh’s character, who is jogging in a park, as Shaktimaan, he explains, “The idea initially was to say he is like Superman, but then I said to the crew, ‘let us use Shaktimaan instead. Our audience will identify better with him as he is an Indian superhero’.”
Omar adds that they will speak to Mukesh Khanna about the idea they wished to convey and hope he understands. And what if he is not convinced? “It will be difficult for us to recreate the sequence as it was an outdoor scene in the Nehru Park in Thrissur (Kerala). If it was an indoor shoot, it would have been marginally easier to reshoot. Also, we will have to do it again in a Superman costume; it’s not an easy task,” says the filmmaker.
Meanwhile, Mukesh Khanna says that he got to know about the character being used in the film when someone from Kerala alerted him about it. He also saw the photo doing rounds on social media and news portals. “This is not done, I found the usage objectionable. I am the copyright holder of the character, his costume, theme music and more. No one can use it in a film without my permission, that too in a funny manner. The makers of the film didn’t have the courtesy to ask, inform or seek permission, that’s the reason I sent the complaint to FEFKA,” he tells us.
The actor adds that he has often seen people using the Shaktimaan character in mimicry performances and online videos. “I am not in favour of that too, but on such platforms, you often can’t trace the original source of the video. Regardless, I comment on them saying, ‘You have grown up watching Shaktimaan and it isn’t right to give the character such a portrayal’. People have apologised too, when I point that out. However, that’s not the case when a film or a serial uses Shaktimaan, they need to ensure there is no copyright infringement,” explains Mukesh Khanna.
I found the use of Shaktimaan in Dhamaka objectionable-Mukesh Khanna
