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Veteran actor Mukesh Khanna, known for his iconic roles as Bhishma Pitamah in 'Mahabharat' and the beloved superhero 'Shaktimaan', has stirred controversy yet again, this time by criticising several of his co-stars from the cult mythological series Mahabharat. The BR Chopra-directed epic aired on Doordarshan between 1988 and 1990 and remains one of Indian television’s most revered shows.

In a recent interview on the VTV Gujarat YouTube channel, Khanna alleged that many of his fellow cast members didn’t live up to the dignified characters they portrayed on screen. “The entire cast of Mahabharat, forgive me, was filled with ‘chhichhoras’. Arjun, Duryodhan, you name them… I was the odd one out,” he said, without holding back.

"A man’s worth isn’t measured by affairs," says Khanna

Khanna reflected on a remark once made by director Ravi Chopra that stayed with him for years. “I am more comfortable with my work than with affairs. I still remember something that Ravi Chopra said… I laugh about it, I’m not bothered by it… Ravi Chopra would say, ‘The man who has the most affairs is a real man’. The number of affairs you have doesn’t define you as a man. A real man is someone who takes care of his family,” he said, as he criticised the erosion of Indian values and the growing glorification of infidelity in today’s culture.

He also shared how his attitude didn’t sit well with others on the set. “A Gujarati actress who worked on Mahabharat was once asked about her co-stars, and she said, ‘Mukesh Khanna is a prince among frogs’,” he recounted.

Mukesh Khanna remembers final day on Mahabharat set

When asked about the emotional final day of Mahabharat's shoot, footage of which still circulates online, Khanna recalled his own detached reaction while poking fun at some of his colleagues. “You can see in the video as well that I am keeping my distance. They were crying and wiping each other’s tears, but I was amused. My shoot had ended a little earlier…” he said, referring specifically to Nitish Bharadwaj (Krishna) and Firoz Khan (Arjun). However, he acknowledged the emotional bond the team had formed over time, saying it was understandable why people got emotional.

Mukesh Khanna refused to appear on The Kapil Sharma Show

Mukesh Khanna also explained why he chose not to participate in a special 'Mahabharat' reunion episode on 'The Kapil Sharma Show'. He has had long-standing differences with both Kapil Sharma and Gajendra Chauhan, who played Yudhishtir in the series.

“Bhishma Pitamah ke bina Mahabharat kahaan hoti hai? (Mahabharat is incomplete without Bhishma Pitamah). Arjun, Krishna, Duryodhana went, everybody went. Yudhistira also went and somewhere he gave a statement that, ‘Mukesh ji ko toh bulaya hi nahi tha (Mukesh ji was not invited), they needed people who have a sense of humour,’ I said, ‘Oye, when these cricketers come, are they asked if they have a sense of humour? They are treated as VIPs, as if they have done someone a favour by appearing on his show,” he told Siddharth Kannan.