After facing strong backlash from Sonakshi Sinha regarding his controversial comments about her and her father, veteran politician Shatrughan Sinha, actor Mukesh Khanna has issued an apology on social media. Khanna, who is widely known for his portrayal of Bhishma in the iconic Mahabharat, had earlier made unwarranted remarks about Sonakshi’s appearance on a quiz show, where she was unable to answer a question related to the Ramayana. He had even suggested that her father's influence was to blame for her lack of knowledge.
Taking to Instagram Stories, Khanna expressed his surprise at the delay in Sonakshi’s reaction but clarified that his intention was never to malign her or her father. "I knew I was antagonizing you by taking your name from that incident in the famous Kaun Banega Crorepati show," he wrote. "But I had no malicious intention to malign you or your father who is my senior, and I have a very cordial relationship with him."
Khanna went on to explain that his comments were meant to highlight what he perceives as a generational gap in knowledge. "My only intention was to react on today's generation, which is called Gen-Z, who have become slaves to today’s Google world and mobile phones. Their knowledge is limited to Wikipedia and social interactions on YouTube," he stated. He further added, "I had a Hi-Fi case in front of me of yours, which I thought I could use to teach others. Fathers, sons, daughters. To tell them that we have a huge and vast knowledge preserved in our culture, Sanskriti, and history, which every youth of today should know—and not just know, but feel proud about it."
Khanna acknowledged that he regretted discussing the issue in his interview, conceding that it was inappropriate. "And yes, I regret that I talked about it in that one interview of mine. Point noted. It will not be repeated. Be assured," he concluded his post, asking Sonakshi to take care.
This apology comes after Sonakshi’s direct rebuttal, in which she addressed Khanna's remarks and clarified that she did not need his forgiveness, but simply wished for him to let go of the incident. Sonakshi’s response resonated with many as she stood up for herself and her family while maintaining dignity and respect.