Ranveer Singh to bring back India’s first iconic superhero Shaktimaan. The movie will be directed by Basil Joseph with Ranveer Singh, Mukesh Khanna, Prashant Singh, Vrushin Patel as star cast. The movie revolves around the protagonist and also the first Indian superhero Shaktimaan Who got his power through devotion to the God, Activated All the chakras, so he can manipulate almost everything in this world.
“Bollywood star Ranveer Singh has been roped in to play Shaktimaan, reported Pinkvilla. The actor will reportedly play the titular role in the Basil Joseph directorial. The film is said to go on floors next year in May. It is eyeing a 2026 release. It is going to be a trilogy that will bring back the iconic superhero.
But before this exciting project, Ranveer will finish his committments for Farhan Akhtar directorial, Don 3. The franchise was earlier led by superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Mukesh khanna who played Shaktimaan on television will also be a part of the movie. He will show his presence in a cameo appearance in the movie.
“Shaktimaan” will be a Hindi language action adventure drama movie. It also covers the genre of fantasy and sci-fi. The movie is going to use the best visual effects and animation. It is believed that the movie has big budget but actual figures are not revealed yet.
The film has been in the writing stage for over 3 years now and the team has finally cracked a script that’s worthy of doing justice to the legacy of Shaktimaan. The film will be directed by Basil Joseph, with Sony Pictures India and Sajid Nadiadwala as the producers,” the source added.
India’s first iconic superhero Shaktimaan and Who was Shaktimaan?
Shaktimaan is a fictional Indian superhero who first appeared in a television series of the same name in 1997. The character was created by Mukesh Khanna and was one of the first Indian superhero TV series. Shaktimaan was a popular show in the late 1990s and early 2000s and featured a superhero with superhuman strength, the ability to fly, and other supernatural powers.
Shaktimaan received powers from seven gurus who trained and blessed him with “yogic shakti which was natural power.” He was the chosen warrior against evil by Siddha gurus of a cult named Suryanshi. They are followers of the star Sun. As part of the training, he trained with Kundalini Yoga to awake the 7 chakras of the body and gain ‘supernatural’ powers from them. To gain complete control over his powers, he performed the ritual of death.
However, this did not cause death but made him more alive than when he was a normal man. He also performed Yajna in which he entered the fire himself and dissolved his body in the fire. Then, the five elements of life, i.e. fire, wind, water, earth, sky revived his body giving him special powers from them. Thus, after leaving his mortal body, he was given a superhuman form to fight against the evil in the world as Shaktimaan.
After Shaktimaan was created, he set out to destroy his archenemy Kilvish. But, as the Mahaguru (Tom Alter) explained, Kilvish can only be defeated after evil is destroyed. Shaktimaan’s mission is to destroy the sin within people, not the sinned people. Shaktimaan’s adventures show him pursuing justice and saving his friends while Kilvish and his minions plot to defeat him.
The show aired on DD National from 13 September 1997 to 27 March 2005. The series ran for 450 episodes from 13 September 1997 to 27 March 2005 on DD National.The show was later dubbed and aired on several other Indian TV channels in various languages, in Tamil on DD Podhigai and in Odia on Tarang. Reruns of the series also aired on STAR Utsav and Dangal TV.A re-edited version of the series premiered on Pogo TV in 2006. The series was also dubbed in English language for the network.
The show was re-telecast from 1 April 2020 on DD National when the production of ongoing series had to be stopped by the channel due to COVID-19 pandemic. The series was also aired on DD Retro starting from 13 April 2020.
The character is often compared to Superman, another popular superhero, but Shaktimaan is distinct in that he draws his powers from his inner strength, meditation, and yoga. The show aimed to promote traditional Indian values and culture, and Shaktimaan is often depicted fighting against corruption, evil, and injustice. The show was a significant success and has a large fan following in India.