If you are a '90’s kid, you are no stranger to the lyrics “Shakti Shakti Shaktimaan” — yes, the humming comes naturally — and you also must have gone on a nostalgia trip today with the announcement of the new Shaktimaan trilogy.
India’s most popular superhero is all set to make a comeback on screen with Sony Pictures India unveiling a teaser announcement yesterday.
The original television series began airing on Doordarshan in 1997 with Mukesh Khanna in the title role of newspaper photographer Pandit Gangadhar Vidhyadhar Mayadhar Omkarnath Shastri aka Shaktimaan, a superhero tasked by mystical sect of saints to fight evil on Earth. The show ran for almost eight years and 450 episodes and featured an ensemble cast including Kitu Gidwani, Vaishnavi, Surendra Pal, and Tom Alter.
Unsurprisingly the news sparked a meme-fest on Twitter. It is Nostalgia City. Population: '90s kids (and those introduced to Shaktimaan by '90s kids)!
There were the obvious shout-outs to Marvel and DC, and all them firmly tongue in cheek.
The Avengers, obviously, had to be alerted to their competition and there was a lot of speculation about what their reaction would be.
Netizens also gave a quick shoutout to Dr. Jackal, the villain in the superhero series.
Fans made (rightful) demands of the makers to retain the magic of the Shaktimaan of their childhood, including, most importantly, the title track.
Since no launch date or cast has been announced, there is also major speculation about who will play the titular character. Twitterati weighed in with names they think would be best suited to wear the new Shaktimaan suit and suggestions spanned the gamut from Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan and Sonu Sood to Vidyut Jammwal and Mahesh Babu among others.
#Superstar #MaheshBabu @urstrulyMahesh is the perfect for #Shaktimaan@SonyPicsIndia ?? https://t.co/9I6argDNGi
— Hemendra Singh Dewal(@DewalHemendra) February 11, 2022
Needless to say, Indian audiences, especially India’s 90s millennials cannot wait to see more.