Mukesh Khanna has been in the eye of the storm ever since Doordashan's mythological shows Ramayan and Mahabharat began airing again on the government-owned channel. Mukesh Khanna also passed a statement on actress Sonakshi Sinha over her less knowledge of Ramayan (she had no answer to a Ramayan based question when she graced Kaun Banega Crorepati). Mukesh had then said that the re-airing of Ramayan would benefit 'people like her who did not have much knowledge about Ramayan. Mukesh Khanna Takes a Sly Dig at Sonakshi Sinha, Says ‘Ramayan and Mahabharat’s Rerun Will Help People Like Her Who Have No Knowledge’.

This did not go down well with Mahabharat's Nitish Bharadwaj, who immediately came out in Sonakshi's defence and berated Mukesh for being a senior actor and yet passing such statements. Nitish, in an interview, had said, "Why target Sonakshi alone? There's always a better way to say the same thing. A balanced, soft and empathetic way; and it is received better too. Seniors seem worthy of respect if they walk the path of empathy." Nitish Bharadwaj, Mahabharat's Krishna, Defends Sonakshi Sinha From Mukesh Khanna's Jibe On Her Ignorance of Ramayan!.

A few days back, Sonakshi's father Shatrughan Sinha had also lashed out at Mukesh, but did not take his name. The veteran had told an entertainment portal, "I believe someone has a problem with Sonakshi not answering a question on the Ramayan. Firstly what qualifies this person to be an expert on all things to do with the Ramayan? And who has appointed him the guardian of the Hindu religion?"

The veteran continued, "Not answering a question on the Ramayan doesn’t disqualify Sonakshi from being a good Hindu. She doesn’t need a certificate of approval from anyone." Sonakshi Sinha's Father Shatrughan Sinha Hits Back at Mukesh Khanna Over 'Ramayan' Jibe, Says 'She Doesn’t Need a Certificate of Approval'.

Mukesh Khanna, in a conversation with BT said that he just used Sonakshi as an example and his intentions were not to demean the Dabangg actress. "My intention was not to target her. People have blown my comment out of proportion and presented it wrongly to Shatruji. I have known him for long and have immense respect for him. I took Sonakshi’s name as a mere example. It does not mean I was trying to demean her or question her knowledge."

"I am not claiming that I am the guardian of Ramayan and Hindu literature, but as a citizen of India, I do feel that it is our duty to introduce our literature and history to today’s generation because they are more interested in TikTok and Harry Potter. Once again, if Shatruji feels that taking Sonakshi’s name was a mistake, then yes, it is. But, it was not intentional," Mukesh told the daily. Mukesh Khanna Reveals That He Rejected Ekta Kapoor's Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki, Says 'I Am Against the Way She Projects Women in Her Daily Soaps'

When questioned about his Mahabharat co-star Nitish Bharadwaj's statement on him, Mukesh went on to say, "Should I not say anything just because today’s generation will stop respecting me? I have never minced words and have always been honest about my thoughts, but Nitish Bharadwaj is diplomatic. He has also said that the current generation will never know about Ramayan and Mahabharat because our school textbooks don’t have any chapters on the epics. Well, there are no chapters on Harry Potter either, but the young generation knows about it. When we were growing up, our textbooks didn’t have chapters on the epics, but our parents introduced us to them."

Mukesh also made it to the headlines for making really strong statements against soap queen Ekta Kapoor for her remake of Mahabharat. Mukesh bashed Ekta for her depiction of the Pandavaas as 'Greeks' and also for showcasing a Draupadi with a tattoo on her shoulder. "I would like to tell all pseudo-intellectuals that I do have the right to say that these versions are not based on the original, and they should watch the reruns of Ramanand Sagar’s 'Ramayan' and BR Chopra’s 'Mahabharat'," concluded Mukesh Khanna.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 14, 2020 03:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).