Mukesh Khanna is known for his unfiltered views on cinema and society. The Shaktimaan actor had recently given a critical review of Nag Ashwin's Kalki 2898 AD. However, his comments on Odisha-Bihar audience being intellectually inferior to the West did not go down well with many. Now, the actor has clarified his remarks.

Mukesh Khanna addresses controversy over Kalki review

Mukesh took to his Twitter handle and wrote, “I want to address a misunderstanding that has arisen on social media. It has come to my attention that some people in Odisha and Bihar believe that I insulted their intelligence when reviewing the movie Kalki. However, this is not the case." 

He claimed that he was only pointing out that the film would be difficult to understanding, adding, “In my review, I pointed out two flaws in the movie: firstly, it heavily relies on facts from the Mahabharata, and secondly, the first half of the movie is boring and confusing, making it difficult for the average moviegoer to understand. I used the villagers of Bihar and Odisha as examples to illustrate that the Hollywood-style first half of the movie may not be easily grasped by everyone.” 

Mukesh also stated that his intention was to criticise the film, not the people of Odisha or Bihar, “I was criticizing the movie, not the people of Bihar and Odisha. It is for campaigning. I have attended the functions. I have visited the temple of Puri. It's important to understand that my comments were about the film and not an insult to the people of these regions. My experiences in Bihar and Odisha have been positive, and I have no intention of speaking ill of the people there. I hope this clarifies the situation.”

What Mukesh Khanna had said

In his original review, the veteran actor had said, “The level of intellect with which the film has been made is fine for Hollywood. People are more intelligent than us over there. Forgive me, but audiences in Odisha and Bihar are not going to understand this kind of filmmaking.”

Mukesh was known for playing Shaktimaan and warrior Bheeshma Pitamah in BR Chopra's Mahabharat.

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