Mukesh Khanna Says Average Audience Won't Understand Kalki: 'Used Villagers Of Bihar, Odisha As Example'

Actor Mukesh Khanna, known for his role as Bhishma in BR Chopra’s Mahabharat, has faced a lot of backlash on social media for a recent controversial comment. While reviewing Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD on his YouTube channel, Khanna praised the performances and scale, giving the film 100 points. However, he also said that the film seemed tailored for Western audiences and suggested that viewers in Bihar and Odisha might not understand it. He has now tendered an apology after being heavily trolled for it.

Mukesh Khanna clarified on X (formerly Twitter) that he wanted to clear up any misunderstandings about his comments on Bihar and Odisha. He said that he was criticising the flaws in Kalki and not demeaning the people of Bihar and Odisha. “I travel around Bihar and Odisha extensively. I have campaigned there. I have attended functions there. I have paid my respects at the temple in Puri. Why would I disrespect the people from Bihar and Odisha? I was only commenting about the film, and I wasn’t demeaning anybody from Bihar and Odisha,” he 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,” he had said in his review.

He has now said that he watched the movie with three team members from Bihar. They felt bored during the first half, which promoted him to make the comments. “The film’s first half is boring and confusing, and the average audience member isn’t going to understand it. This is a critique directed at the film, and I was only using the villagers of Bihar and Odisha as an example to assert my point,” he reasoned.

Meanwhile, Khanna also criticised director Nag Ashwin for showing a misleading story about the Mahabharata. He said that he found the filmmakers’ decision to change elements of the Mahabharata to be offensive.