Mukesh Khanna, who is best known for his iconic roles as Shaktimaan and Bhishma Pitamah, may be 67, but his views on marriage, relationships and life remain deeply rooted in spirituality and personal conviction. In a recent conversation, the veteran actor opened up about why he never married, his belief in destiny, and why he rejects the idea of masculinity being tied to multiple relationships.
‘I don’t believe in proving manhood with affairs’
Addressing perceptions around 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, “Everyone had affairs in that group—I didn’t. I don’t believe you need 10 girlfriends to prove your manhood. There are other ways to prove it.”He emphasised that his stance has often been misunderstood, especially when it comes to women. “I am not against women. In fact, I respect women a lot,” he clarified.
‘If you are married, you are committed’
Khanna spoke at length about fidelity in marriage, questioning societal double standards.“People say a woman should be pativrata. But has anyone said a man should also be pativrata? I say that,” he said, adding, “If you are married, you are committed. Two souls have met. But people don’t believe this… they say ‘I love my wife’ and still move around. That is cheating.”
‘I believe in marriage more than most people’
Despite never having married, Khanna insisted that he has strong faith in the institution.“People think if you don’t marry, you don’t believe in marriage. That’s not true. I believe in the institution of marriage more than most people,” he said.However, he believes marriage is governed by destiny. “A wife doesn’t just come randomly. She is written in destiny,” he explained.
‘A wife is your karmic connection from a past life’
Drawing from spiritual texts, Khanna shared his belief that marriage is a deeper, karmic bond.“According to scriptures, a wife is your prarabdh 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 happens only once’
On love, the actor was clear and uncompromising.“Love happens only once. The rest is infatuation or desire,” 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 are being ungrateful,” he noted.
Why he never married
Explaining his personal choice, Khanna said it ultimately comes down to fate.“If it was meant to happen, it would have happened by now. The woman I am destined to marry already exists somewhere. When destiny brings us together, it will happen,” he said, adding that age is not a factor.“What is age? I don’t even count numbers,” he remarked.
