Mukesh Khanna Reveals Yash Chopra Once Compared Him to ‘Country Liquor’ on Sudhanshu Rai’s New Show ‘Dreamers’

Mumbai : In the debut episode of Sudhanshu Rai’s new storytelling series ‘Dreamers’, veteran actor Mukesh Khanna opened up about a shocking and emotional chapter of his early film career. Known for his iconic roles as Bhishma Pitamah in Mahabharat and India’s first superhero Shaktimaan, Khanna revealed how filmmaker Yash Chopra once made a deeply hurtful remark about him. As narrated by Sudhanshu Rai, when Khanna’s brother Jaggi showed Yash Chopra two reels of his film Khooni, the legendary director commented, “When you have the option of foreign liquor, why would you choose country liquor?”—a metaphor suggesting that Khanna didn’t match up to stars like Amitabh Bachchan or Vinod Khanna. Though Chopra appreciated Mukesh’s acting, the comment stayed with him. The two never met face to face again.

Despite such setbacks, Khanna rose to become one of Indian television’s most beloved figures. The first episode of ‘Dreamers’ beautifully portrays this journey of struggle, resilience, and ultimate triumph, setting a powerful tone for the inspiring series.