'Shameless Shaktimaan' trends: Mukesh Khanna, who once called Samay Raina 'ashleel', now collaborates with him in ad; fans say 'power of money'

Let bygones be bygones; this phrase seems to hold true for actor Mukesh Khanna and comedian Samay Raina. Samay's time has truly changed for the better, as some of his biggest critics are now turning into his supporters.

The social media feud between veteran actor Mukesh Khanna and comedian Samay Raina has been going on for over a year, ever since the first season of India's Got Latent landed in controversy following Ranveer Allahbadia's joke about parents. The controversy escalated beyond online trolling, leading to multiple FIRs and widespread criticism.

Actor Mukesh Khanna had strongly criticised Samay during the controversy surrounding India's Got Latent. Mukesh had described the show as "ashleel" (obscene) and said that the comedian should be paraded on a donkey.

A day after Samay took a swipe at Mukesh Khanna and Shaktimaan in his comedy special Still Alive, Mukesh reacted by calling the comedian shameless.

He wrote, "Samay Raina, tu sirf gadhe par baithne ke layak hai, voh bhi muh kala karke (Samay Raina, you're only fit to sit on a donkey,  and that too with your face blackened)."

He further added, "The whole country has scolded him and condemned him. Yet he has come back shamelessly. Now only one thing remains — blacken his face, parade him on a donkey through the cities of the country, and shower him with insults. Let children throw eggs and tomatoes at him because he has insulted their superhero Shaktimaan."

Samay Raina and Mukesh Khanna collab for an ad and the internet can't digest this 

Despite their public war of words, the two have now come together for a commercial. The collaboration has left many social media users surprised, with some calling it an unexpected collab, while others criticised Mukesh for working with Samay after speaking out so strongly against him.

On Monday, Samay took to Instagram and shared an advertisement for the Ai+ Smartphone featuring him and Shaktimaan star Mukesh Khanna. In the video, Samay is seen speaking to someone on the phone and saying, "Thanks, yaar. The show is returning now. As they say, darkness doesn't prevail for long."

Just then, Shaktimaan arrives in his signature style. Seeing him, Samay asks, "What are you doing on my rooftop, sir?"

Mukesh replies, "Teri tedhi dum seedhi karne aaya hoon, Samay Raina (I am here to put you in line, Samay Raina)."

Samay says he is afraid to be on a rooftop with him and urges him to come inside. Mukesh then adds, "3 FIR hone ke baad bhi tum sudhre nahi na? Tera muh kala karna hi padega (Even after three FIRs were filed against you, you still haven't changed, have you? We will have to blacken your face)."

Samay responds, "Then there'll be one more FIR against you for doing blackface, right?"

Mukesh continues, "Phirse ghinone jokes. Phirse kutta aakar keh raha hai ki meri dum tedhi hai. Kutta kabhi bhi aakar nahi kehta ki dekho dekho meri dum tedhi hai. Tumhari issi gandi bhasha se logon ka dimaag kharab ho gaya hai. Tum Hindustan mein rehte ho par tumhare jokes ashleel American style ke hain. Joote Japanese hain aur shirt Canada ki."

(Such disgusting jokes. Once again, a dog comes along and says that my tail is crooked. A dog never goes around saying, 'Look, look, my tail is crooked.' It is because of this filthy language of yours that people's minds have become corrupted. You live in India, but your jokes are vulgar and American in style. Your shoes are Japanese and your shirt is Canadian.)

The exchange then transitions into a brand promotion, with Samay showing Mukesh the smartphone and highlighting that it is made in India.

The advertisement has divided the internet. One fan commented, "Totally unexpected collab before GTA 6." Another wrote, "Hahaha, collab no one imagined." A third said, "Nobody was expecting this collab," while another called it "legendary."

Many weren't impressed with Mukesh Khanna collaborating with Samay.

However, some users criticised Mukesh Khanna for collaborating with Samay after previously condemning him.

One comment read, "Shaktimaan bhi bik gaya (Even Shaktimaan has sold out)." Another user wrote, "It feels like creating controversy with Samay is good for your bank balance, as he ends up collaborating with every hater and humbling them too." Another comment read, "Shaktimaan ki neeyat badal gayi (Shaktimaan's motives have changed)."

One X user criticised Mukesh and wrote, "Mukesh Khanna was brutally abusing Samay Raina for 'destroying culture' just a few days back. Today, Shaktimaan is happily shooting a commercial with the same Samay Raina. Now he's milking his success to stay relevant. Absolute hypocrisy!"

Another tweeted, "He is the same person who was demanding Samay's arrest after the India's Got Latent Season 1 controversy. Where are his sanskar and moral values now? Did he sell them for some money?"

However, Samay Raina's India's Got Latent has made a powerful return, with the premiere episode of Season 2 crossing 5 million views within hours of its release on June 20.