Actor Mukesh Khanna has once again criticised comedian Samay Raina after the latter took a swipe at him in his stand-up special Still Alive. In the set, while speaking about how things spiralled after the India’s Got Latent controversy, Raina mocked Khanna for weighing in on the issue.In a fresh interview with Zoom, Khanna reiterated his concerns about the kind of content being consumed by young audiences, questioning both creators and viewers.“I believe we influence the children and youth of this country. I had rejected even The Kapil Sharma Show—I didn’t go there despite being invited. I instead did my own show, The Mukesh Khanna Show. I have always said interviews can be conducted with dignity; there is no need to go below the belt. Crores of TRP is not the criteria—if something is not good, have the courage to say it,” he said.ALSO READ: ‘I am losing crores’: Why Mukesh Khanna is blocking Ranveer Singh from becoming the next ShaktimaanTaking aim at the popularity of such content, Khanna added, “Just because people are eager to watch something, and crowds gather for it, doesn’t make it right. You should question the audience too—why are they watching such things?”‘You are corrupting the youth for money’Khanna called the trend “commercial drama,” accusing creators of prioritising profit over responsibility.“This is a commercial drama. If it gets such high viewership, you are happy because it’s earning money. But for that money, you are corrupting the youth brigade. You don’t have a conscience. You were not taught values—that you shouldn’t use such filthy language about parents,” he said.Story continues below this adReferring to the controversial remarks made on the show, he further said, “You are even defending him (Ranveer Allahbadia), saying he meditates and has come on your channel. You are taking ownership of such things being said on your platform. You are not even ashamed of what was said. Everyone was laughing—even a girl sitting there. I was shocked. Is this the future of our country?”‘Don’t be proud of your TRPs’The veteran actor also warned against equating popularity with quality. “Don’t be proud of your TRP. Don’t think that just because so many people are watching, it is good,” he said.Drawing a comparison with films, Khanna referenced Shah Rukh Khan’s Baazigar. “In that film, Shah Rukh Khan throws his fiancée off a balcony. I had said even then, if Shah Rukh does it, people might follow it. If Gulshan Grover does it, it won’t have the same impact. When a star does something, it influences people.”‘Entertainment is not an excuse to escape responsibility’Khanna also rejected the argument that such content is merely entertainment. “Saying ‘we are just entertaining’ is running away from your responsibility. There are people who emulate you,” he said.Story continues below this adHe went on to criticise Raina for targeting his iconic superhero character Shaktimaan. “This Mr Raina, who takes ownership of such content and criticises others, has also criticised a character like Shaktimaan. He has no right to do that.”On Shaktimaan controversyDefending the legacy of Shaktimaan, Khanna addressed past claims linking the show to harmful incidents among children.“He doesn’t even know that no children died because of the show. Some people had tried to create such narratives, but I explained it then. We even won court cases—reports from places like Begusarai and Pune were proven wrong. Those incidents happened for other reasons but were linked to Shaktimaan,” he said.He added, “Shaktimaan ran successfully for seven years—that itself proves its goodness, popularity and innocence. Why spread such stories just to make your point?”Story continues below this ad“Children grew up with Shaktimaan—they lived with it. But if they grow up with this kind of content, the generation will go astray,” he said.What Samay had saidDuring his stand-up special, Samay addressed the backlash he faced, saying people quickly jumped in to criticise him during the controversy.He said, “Shaktiman aa gaya tha yaar. Shaktiman se kaise ladenge? Sorry, Shaktimaan! Tune bachhe maare hain fak-fak-fak karke, tu kya moral high ground lekar baitha hai? (Shaktimaan also joined in. How will we fight Shaktimaan? Sorry, Shaktimaan! Shaktimaan has killed children ‘fak-fak-fak karke’. How are you taking the moral high ground?)”The backlash was triggered by an inappropriate question posed by Ranveer to a contestant about his parents, which many viewers found offensive. The segment quickly sparked outrage online, leading to multiple FIRs being filed against Samay, Ranveer and other guests.