Shaktimaan
- In Hindi: Shaktimaan (literally possessor of Shakti, power, is a term used to describe somebody who possess a lot of powers.)
| Shaktimaan | |
|---|---|
 Mukesh Khanna as Shaktimaan |
|
| Written by | Brij Mohan Pandey |
| Directed by | Dinkar Jani |
| Starring | Mukesh Khanna Vaishnavi Mahant Kitu Gidwani Surendra Pal Tom Alter |
| Opening theme | Shaktimaan |
| Country of origin | India |
| Language(s) | Hindi |
| No. of episodes | 300 [1] |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Mukesh Khanna |
| Editor(s) | Nasir Hakim Ansari |
| Cinematography | Manoj Soni |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Doordarshan |
| Original run | September 13, 1997 – 2004 [1] |
Contents |
[edit] Origin of Shaktimaan
Shaktimaan received powers from seven gurus who trained and blessed him with "yogic shakti". He was the chosen warrior against evil by siddha gurus of catapult named Suryanshi. They are followers of the star Sun. As part of training he trained with Kundalini Yoga to waken the 7 chakras of body and gain 'super natural' powers from them. To gain complete control over his powers he performed the ritual of death. However, this did not cause death but made him more alive than when he was a normal man. He also performed Yajna in which he entered the fire himself and dissolved his body in fire. Then, the five elements of life, i.e. fire, wind, water, earth, sky revived his body giving him special powers from them. Thus after leaving his mortal body he was given a super human form to fight against the evil in the world as Shaktimaan.After Shaktimaan was created he set out to destroy his archenemy Kilvish. But, as the Mahaguru explained, Kilvish can only be defeated after evil is destroyed. Shaktimaan's adventures show him pursuing justice and saving his friends while Kilvish and his minions plot to defeat him.
[edit] Powers of Shaktimaan
Shaktimaan has unlimited powers which lie inside his body in his seven chakras of Kundalini attained through mediation. Shaktimaan worships God through the symbol Om. Truthfulness is his motto. He can even separate his body into five different bodies of fire, wind, water, earth and sky. He can convert his body into light and flies even faster than the speed of light. He can shoot laser beams with his fingers and toes and other body parts and he can also stretch his hand and legs and other body parts very far. He is an expert at Judo, Karate, and other Martial Arts. He possesses the power of telepathy, teleportation, etc.His only weakness is a crystal possessed by Tamraj Kilvish. This makes him powerless because it is filled with the evil of the world and is the source of the black powers. However, its effects are temporary.
Shaktimaan's powers are as follows:
- Flight at a speed faster than light
- Invisibility
- Powerful vision
- Ability to manupulate the 5 elements known to man
- Immortality
[edit] Other characters
[edit] Enemies
Tamraj Kilvish is Shaktimaan’s archenemy. Tamraj means King of Darkness (tama = darkness, raj = king). He has lived 6000 years, and is the source of evil in the world. He intends to rule the world by spreading darkness, hatred, sin and evil. It is said that the source of his strength is one-half of the "Shakti Punj" (the half which is referred to as "Paap Punj") which he managed to retain after he originally obtained the entire Shakti Punj by deceit from Shri Satya (Satya means truth), the founder of the Suryanshi. However, it is also mentioned that the source of his strength is the evil that is committed by people in this world.It was later revealed that only Shri Satya can kill Tamraj Kilvish. After a death defying adventure, Shaktimaan was told that he is the rebirth of Shri Satya. Shri Satya had given the exact time of the child's birth and the place before he died about 5000 years ago. Tamraj also knows this and this is the main reason he is frightened by the appearance of Shaktimaan as he knows that only Shaktimaan can kill Tamraj. He murdered Shaktimaan's parents and his adoptive father, Pandit Shastri.[2] He and his minions plot to kill him but always fail. His minions include Electric man (who can shoot lightning blots from his body), Stone man (who can shoot stones from his body), Plastica (who can stretch any part of his body), Dr.Jackal (who is mad scientist) and other. Dr. Jackal has helped Kilvish in his various schemes by cloning Shaktimaan and also by turning aliens against him.[3]
In the television series, Kilvish is often treated as the personification of darkness itself even though he was once a human being who later becomes a very powerful and commits many evil deeds. In an attempt to become immortal, he left his mortal body and took an ethereal body which can't be killed but Shaktimaan is told that he has to kill all the evil in the world to destroy Tamraj’s ethereal body. Kilvish's trademark quote is "Andhera Kaayam Rahe" (May Darkness Persist), which is also used by his followers.
Kilvish's character evolves as the series progresses. In the beginning episodes of Shaktimaan, his face is never shown and his voice is different from the voice that he uses in the later episodes of Shaktimaan, in which his role is played by Surendra Pal.
[edit] Geeta Vishwas
Shaktimaan lives as Pandit Gangadhar Vidyadhar Mayadhar Omkarnath Shastry. Gangadhar works as a reporter for the newspaper Aaj ki Aawaaz with Geeta Viswas, and the fact that Gangadhar is Shaktimaan is still a secret. Later on, however, it is revealed to Geeta Viswas. Though Gangadhar loves Gita and they both know this, they cannot marry as Shaktimaan is a "Bal Brahmachari" i.e. a man who has pledged to remain celibate for his whole life.[edit] Main cast
- Mukesh Khanna as Shaktimaan/Pandit Gangadhar Vidyadhar Mayadhar Omkaar Naath Shastri
- Vaishnavi Mahant/Kitu Gidwani‡ as Geeta Vishwas
- Surendra Pal as Kilvish
- Tom Alter as Mahaguru
- Rajendra Gupta as Geeta's Father
[edit] Fame
Shaktimaan is the defender of the truth and justice as well as a role model for his television audience, even going so far as to lecture viewers on hygiene, patriotism and education.When Shaktimaan first aired on Doordarshan, there were a lot of controversy created as children set themselves on fire or jumped off buildings hoping that Shaktimaan would save them.[4] In an effort to promote responsible behavior among children, Mukesh Khanna spent a substantial part of the airtime in explaining to the children that the stunts shown on television were not real and should not be emulated. [5] Khanna also stated that most of the controversies were fake and were raised in media to undermine its popularity. [6]
Shaktimaan was one of the most popular and longest-running television series for Indian children on the Doordarshan channel.[7]
Later a series of comic books appeared featuring Shaktimaan and published in many Indian languages as well as English in association with Diamond Comics and Raj Comics. Shaktimaan merchandise like costumes, stickers, dolls, etc. were also introduced in market.
In the wake of the 2001 Gujarat Earthquake, Mukesh Khanna toured the affected areas in character as Shaktimaan topping morale and giving relief to people.
[edit] See Also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050615/asp/calcutta/story_4870084.asp
- ^ International Hero - Shaktimaan
- ^ Tushar Abhichandani (21 June 2006). "Bad Boys". ]: Indian Express. Retrieved 23 Oct 2011.
- ^ "The Shaktimaan effect". Indian Express. Retrieved 22 Oct 2011.
- ^ http://www.screenindia.com/old/20000922/tclos.htm
- ^ "'Shaktimaan' deaths instigated:Producer". The New India Express. Retrieved 22 Oct 2011.
- ^ http://box4.chakpak.com:9080/articles/?p=18802
[edit] External links
- Shaktimaan at the Internet Movie Database
- Shaktimaan Comics
- Shaktimaan at the International Catalogue of Superheroes
- Shaktimaan profile at BizHat.com
- Interview with Mukesh Khanna at Indiantelevision.com
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