Mukesh Khanna, widely known for his iconic character Shaktimaan, addressed the heavy trolling he received after appearing in an advertisement with Samay Raina. The actor questioned how people could say to him "bik gaya hoon" (sold out). Mukesh explained that he agreed to the advertisement only after the brand accepted certain terms and conditions set by him. He also revealed that some dialogues and scenes were removed from the final advertisement, but maintained that his opinion of Samay did not change either before or during the shoot.
In an exclusive interview with Free Press Journal, Mukesh addressed the trolling and said, "Bolne wale ye sab saare chamche hain Samay Raina ke." He added, "Unko ajeeb kyun laga ki do aadmi aise hain jo ek dusre ko gaali, halanki usne mujhe gaali nahi di, bola 'Shaktimaan ko dekh ke bache marte the' aur main bhadak gaya." The actor said that people subsequently started claiming Samay had "bought" him, which he insisted was not the case.
Mukesh clarified that the advertisement did not happen because of Samay. He said, "Usne kya karwaya yaar. Ek telephone brand ke liye maine ad kiya hai aur with my condition ki I'll not speak this line." He acknowledged that the brand wanted to portray Samay in a positive light, saying, "Samay Raina ka hi pura khel hai, main jaanta hoon." However, the actor maintained that he agreed to the advertisement on his own terms and conditions.
Addressing the "bik gaya" criticism, Mukesh said, "Aadmi jab bikta hai na to ek din mein bik jaata hai. To wo bikta hai to uski language mein baat karne lag jaata hai." He further pointed out that viewers failed to notice the way he and Samay were portrayed in the advertisement. "Koi ye notice nahi karta. Ad ke pehle bhi maine use kaha tha ki 'Gadhe pe bitha kar isko ghumana chahiye', ad ke andar bhi main usko bol raha hoon," he stated.
Mukesh further explained that he agreed to the advertisement because he liked the concept. He clarified that his references in the commercial were about the telephone brand and not Samay's controversial show India's Got Latent. "Wo Samay Raina ko udaana chahte the usme, maine kaha, 'How can you do that?'" he said. Calling it a "casting coup", Mukesh compared his and Samay's coming together for the advertisement to Dilip Kumar and Raj Kumar appearing together in a film despite their differences.
The actor, however, maintained that his stance on Samay's India's Got Latent remains unchanged. "Aaj bhi main yahi kahunga ki is program ko band kar dena chahiye... Mera bas chale to isko abhi bhi gadhe pe bitha ke ghumana chahiye. To I am not changed," Mukesh stated.
