Mukesh Khanna’s iconic Shaktimaan costume ‘copied’ from THIS WWE wrestler? Shocking truth you need to know

Shaktimaan remains one of the most popular TV shows till date. With actor Mukesh Khanna in and as Shaktimaan, the TV show first aired in the 90s. It captivated generations, and even topped TRP charts and made Khanna a household name. Moreover, the iconic red and gold superhero suit instantly became popular and recognisable across the country. But, recently, Internet has called out that the costume wasn’t original and actually copied from a WWE wrestler.

A X (formerly known as Twitter) user recently shared a rare picture from a 19995 WWE wrestling match where the wrestler can be seen wearing exact Mukesh Khanna’s Shaktimaan costume. In the match, Japanese wrestler Chaparita Asari’s red outfit features gold armbands, shoulder pads, along with a gold emblem that closely resembles Shaktimaan’s signature sunburst design. The highlight from the WWE Monday night became Asari’s outifit that seems quite similar to Mukesh Khanna’s superhero suit.

Mukesh Khanna’s iconic Shaktimaan outfit copied from a wrestler?

The user – @thecaoticdjay – shared a screen grab of Asari alongside Mukesh Khanna in costume and wrote, “Lesser known fact: Mukesh Khanna ne #Shaktimaan ka costume 1995 WWF women’s wrestler Chaparita Asari se churaya tha (Mukesh Khanna stole the Shaktimaan costume from 1995 WWF women’s wrestler Chaparita Asari).”

As soon as the picture went viral on other social media platforms too, a lot of users started drawing similarities between how the two costumes looked. One wrote, “This is 100% stolen”, another wrote, “Nakli hai yeh superhero costume”, one wrote, “the show has no originality, disappointed!”

Shaktimaan was directed by Diner Jani, and created by Mukesh Khanna. Starring Khanna in the lead role, alongside Vaishnavi Mahant, Kitu Gidwani, Surendra Pal, Lalit Parimoo, and Tom Alter. Aired on Doordarshan from November 1997 to March 2005, the show even inspired an animated adaptation, a  comic book series and merchandise.

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