Mukesh Khanna apologizes for the controversial statement about the Bihar and Odisha audiences in his 'Kalki 2898 AD' review

Mukesh Khanna, famous for his role as Shaktimaan, recently reviewed the film 'Kalki 2898 AD' on YouTube. In his review, Khanna commented that the film's Western sensibilities might not appeal to audiences in Bihar and Odisha, whom he controversially described as intellectually inferior to Western audiences. Following backlash on the internet, Khanna has now apologized for his remarks.

The actor addressed the controversy on X (formerly Twitter), clarifying his comments about Bihar and Odisha. He expressed his desire to clear any misconceptions, stating that his intention was to critique 'Kalki 2898 AD' rather than demean the citizens of Bihar and Odisha. He said, “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".



In his original review of 'Kalki 2898 AD', Khanna 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 wrote that he watched the film with his team, including three members from Bihar. He explained that their boredom with the film's first half prompted his 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,” Khanna wrote.

Directed by Nag Ashwin, 'Kalki 2898 AD' is a sci-fi film starring Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, and Amitabh Bachchan. Inspired by the Mahabharata, it has received mostly positive reviews. Mukesh Khanna, who played Bhishma in TV adaptations of the Mahabharata, talked about the film because of its connection to the epic.