Veteran actor Mukesh Khanna has once again made headlines with his bold statements, this time targeting none other than TV queen Ekta Kapoor. In our Exclusive Interview at Film Window, Khanna claimed, “I won’t say who told me this… but I noticed it myself, even her father is afraid of Ekta.”
Recalling an incident from the sets of his film Marshal, Khanna revealed, “Jitendra ji once took my phone to speak to Ekta because he couldn’t attend her birthday. The way he spoke… It made me realise something. Jeetu Bhai is a nice man, very polite and warm, but the kind of upbringing and attitude I see in his daughter, I don’t agree with.”
Khanna clarified that he is not personally against Ekta Kapoor but has strong objections to the kind of content her production house creates. “I am against the ideas they are trying to sell. It feels like they are spoiling our youth. I still wonder, why did she even start ALTBalaji? The shows there promote things that should not be normalised in our culture.”
The actor, best known for his role as Bhishma Pitamah in Mahabharat (1988–1990), did not hold back when comparing Ekta Kapoor’s version of the epic to the one he starred in. “The Mahabharat I was part of had depth, research, and respect for our history. Ekta’s Mahabharat was just a glamour show, her Pandavas looked like gym models with six-pack abs. That’s not what Mahabharat was about. It was about values, dharma, and moral battles, not fashion ramps.”
Khanna went on to emphasise the responsibility that comes with making mythological and historical shows. “When you touch something like Mahabharat, you have to be true to its essence. You can’t twist it into something unrecognizable just for TRPs.”
Known for his outspoken nature, Mukesh Khanna has often criticised the television industry for prioritising sensationalism over substance. This latest statement adds another chapter to his long-standing clash with Ekta Kapoor’s style of storytelling,ensuring the debate over content quality in Indian entertainment is far from over.
