Shaktimaan

Shaktimaan is an Indian Hindi-language superhero television show, created by Mukesh Khanna that aired on DD National from 13 September 1997 to 27 March 2005. The show was one of the most popular and longest-running television series in India. It was later dubbed and aired on several other Indian TV channels in various languages, in Tamil on DD Podhigai and in Odia on Tarang. Producer Mukesh Khanna played the role of Shaktimaan and his alter ego "Pandit Gangadhar Vidhyadhar Mayadhar Omkarnath Shastri", a photographer for the newspaper "Aaj Ki Aawaz". Shaktimaan was depicted as a human who has attained superhuman powers through meditation and five elements of nature: Space, Earth, Air, Fire, Water. Kitu Gidwani (later replaced by Vaishnavi Mahant) played the role of Geeta Vishwas, a reporter who loves Shaktimaan. Surendra Pal played the role of Tamraj Kilvish. The show was followed by "Shaktimaan: The Animated Series" in 2011, and a television film titled "Hamara Hero Shaktimaan" in 2013. In an interview with Nupur Rekhi of indiantelevision.com, Khanna told that he has even received letters from the external affairs minister and then Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee saying that he has done a very good thing in choosing the role of Shaktimaan and keeping up with it. He has been featured in The Wall Street Journal on the front page reflecting on Shaktimaan's (and hence Khanna's) positive influence on children. Plot Since the dawn of mankind, humanity was at peace until the arrival of the Kali Yuga. Since then, greed and hatred have taken over humanity and have been deteriorating it for the past 6000 years. To end this, a mystical sect of saints known as "Suryanshis" chose a man to rise up against all odds and defeat the evil prevailing within the society. He was taught the way to energise the 7 chakras of the body through Kundalini Yoga that helped him get mystical and supernatural powers. During his training, he also conducted the ritual of death in order to get total control over his powers by entering the holy fire and immersing his physical body in it. When the five natural elements of life, fire, earth, water, wind, and sky invigorated his body, he gains superpowers and becomes a Superhuman. At last, he takes a pledge to finish corruption and injustice in society and fight the evil prevailing in the world. Due to his heroic initial works, he is named Shaktimaan by a reporter, Gita Viswas.