Mukesh KhannaBest known for his iconic roles as Shaktimaan and Bhishma Pitamah, he may be 67, but his views on marriage, relationships and life remain deeply rooted in spirituality and personal belief. In a recent interview, the veteran actor opened up about why he never got married, his belief in destiny and why he rejects masculinity as tied to multiple relationships.
“I don’t believe in proving manhood with affairs”
Addressing perceptions of masculinity, Khanna recalled how filmmaker Ravi Chopra once told him, “A man is someone who has affairs.”Disagreeing strongly, the actor told The Filmy Charcha, “Everybody in that group had affairs, I didn’t. I don’t think you need 10 girlfriends to prove your manhood. There are other ways to prove it.’He pointed out that his position has often been misunderstood, especially with regard to women. “I am not against women. In fact, I respect women a lot,” he explained.
‘If you’re married, you’re committed’
Khanna spoke at length about fidelity in marriage, questioning society’s double standards.“People say that a woman should be pativrata. But has anyone said that a man should also be pativrata? That’s what I say,” he said, adding: “If you’re married, you’re committed. Two souls have met. But people don’t believe this… They say, ‘I love my wife’ and still move on. That’s cheating.”
“I believe in marriage more than most people”
Despite never having married, Khanna insisted that she has great faith in the institution.“People think that if you don’t get married, you don’t believe in marriage. That’s not true. I believe in the institution of marriage more than most people,” she said.However, he believes that marriage is ruled by fate. “A wife does not come by chance. It is written in fate,” he explained.
“Wife is your karmic connection from a past life”
Drawing from spiritual texts, Khanna believed that marriage is a deeper karmic bond.“According to the scriptures, a wife is an ancestor from a previous life. She comes into your life to correct your karma,” he said.He added: “Affairs can be many, but a wife is one. Marriage is the union of two souls.”
‘Love only happens once’
When it came to love, the actor was clear and uncompromising.“Love only happens once. The rest is love or lust,” he said, adding that moving on easily diminishes the meaning of love.“If you say ‘I love you’ to one person and then go to another, you’re being ungrateful,” he said.
Why he never married
Explaining his personal choice, Khanna said that ultimately it comes down to destiny.“If it was meant to happen, it would have happened by now. The woman I am about to marry already exists somewhere. When fate brings us together, it will happen,” he said, adding that age is not a factor.“What is age? I don’t even count the numbers,” he declared.
