Mukesh Khanna aka Mahabharat’s 'Bhishma' claims 'Kalki 2898 AD' twists the Hindu epic; Says,'Government should set up a special committee’

Nag Ashwin's latest magnum opus, 'Kalki 2898 AD' has been enjoying a successful run at the box office so far. Now, the veteran star Mukesh Khanna, who is also known for his role as Bhishma in BR Chopra’s television series Mahabharat, offered his review of the film Kalki 2898 AD, which has been heavily inspired by the Hindu epic.
Taking to a YouTube channel, Khanna shared that while he enjoyed the film and admired its production values, he found certain aspects to be problematic.He said that he found the filmmakers’ decision to change elements of the Mahabharata to be offensive.
In the video, Khanna can be heard saying, "In the film, when Krishna curses Ashwatthama by removing his'mani', this never happened during the Mahabharata. I want to ask the makers: how could you assume to know more than Vyas Muni, who said that what doesn’t exist here cannot exist elsewhere? It wasn’t Krishna who removed Ashwatthama's'mani'. I have been reading the Mahabharata since childhood; I can tell you that it was Draupadi who instructed that his'mani' should be removed after he killed all five of her children."
Elaborating further about the battle, Khanna shared, “There was a battle between Arjun and Ashwatthama where both wielded the 'Brahmastra'. However, only Arjun knew how to reverse the attack. Since Ashwatthama couldn't, he decided to aim the Brahmastra at Abhimanyu’s wife, who was pregnant. Krishna protected her for nine months. I am telling this story in such detail because I don't understand how Krishna could command Ashwatthama to protect him in the future in Kalki?. How can someone as powerful as Krishna ask someone like Ashwatthama to protect him?"
Mukesh Khanna expressed that every Sanatani should be offended by these changes, much like they were after watching Prabhas’ last film, Adipurush. He criticized the inexcusable liberties taken and questioned the respect South filmmakers have for traditions. He suggested that the government should establish a special committee with the authority to approve or reject any project with mythological connections at the script stage.
Meanwhile, Nag Ashwin's 'Kalki 2898 AD' starring Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Kamal Haasan, and others has collected over Rs 700 crore worldwide in just one week, making it the highest-grossing Indian film of the year.