Can't let Akshay, SRK play Shaktimaan: Mukesh Khanna

Actor Mukesh Khanna, who became popular after playing superhero in "Shaktimaan", is coming up with a 75-minute telefilm titled "Hamaara Hero Shaktimaan", in which he plays Shaktimaan again. He says only he can play 'Shaktimaan'.

"I can't make Akshay Kumar Shaktimaan, I can't let Ajay Devgn play Shaktimaan. They are good actors. I can't even let Shah Rukh Khan play Shaktimaan because they don't have the image that I have," the 54-year-old said here Monday at a press conference to announce the telefilm that will go on air June 30 on Pogo channel.

"So I have to do this (play Shaktimaan) and I would say that I have that audacity to play Shaktimaan again because there was nobody before Mukesh Khanna," he added.

Produced by Mukesh and directed by Dinkar Jani, "Shaktimaan" originally aired on Doordarshan and was super successful.

Shaktimaan is said to be India's first superhero.

In the last few years Bollywood too churned out superhero films like "Ra. One", "Krrish" and the forthcoming "Krrish 3", but for Mukesh, they are not superheroes.

" 'Krrish' is not a superhero. He has just saved his father, now he can become a superhero when he is saving the whole world (in 'Krrish 3'). 'Ra. One' is definitely not a superhero," Khanna said and added: "I am sorry, maybe Shah Rukh might feel bad, but 'Ra. One' is not a superhero."

He added: "You can call 'Ra.One' 'Terminator', a good film on special effects. But sorry to say 'Ra.One' is not a superhero."