Basil Joseph, who has so far maintained a 100 per cent success rate as a filmmaker, has been keeping himself busy in front of the camera in recent years, delivering a string of impressive performances. While the actor in him continues to thrive, fans have been eagerly waiting for his return to the director’s chair. Naturally, reports of him directing the big-screen adaptation of the iconic superhero TV series Shaktimaan, with Ranveer Singh in the lead, had stirred excitement. After all, his last directorial venture was the globally acclaimed superhero drama Minnal Murali (2021).
‘I wasted two years on Shaktimaan’
But despite the frenzy, the project hasn’t taken off yet. Shaktimaan creator Mukesh Khanna, too, has made headlines questioning Ranveer’s suitability for the role. And now, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has shared a startling revelation about Basil’s struggles with the project.“When I met Basil at an event, I asked him how he managed to juggle so many roles in just two or three years, doing films like Ponman right after directing Minnal Murali. Basil told me that he wasted two years of his life trying to do Shaktimaan. He even asked me, ‘God, how do you survive in that industry?’ He said exactly what I feel here. And I replied, ‘I couldn’t. That’s why I moved away.’ That man lost two whole years. He was telling stories about people while laughing,” Kashyap revealed during a chat with Chalchitra Talks.
Only Ranveer Singh as Shaktimaan
Earlier this year, rumours swirled that Pushpa star Allu Arjun had replaced Ranveer Singh as Shaktimaan. Basil, however, firmly denied the chatter. “Shaktimaan will be made only with Ranveer Singh. No one else is doing Shaktimaan. It is Ranveer Singh and no one else. Whoever is spreading rumours of his replacement clearly has their own agenda,” he said.
From assistant to blockbuster filmmaker
Having entered the industry as an assistant to Vineeth Sreenivasan, Basil Joseph first appeared in minor acting roles before making his directorial debut with Kunjiramayanam (2015), a massive hit. He followed it up with the sports comedy Godha (2017), starring Tovino Thomas and Wamiqa Gabbi, which too turned out to be a blockbuster. His third directorial, Minnal Murali, cemented his reputation globally as a filmmaker who can balance local storytelling with universal appeal.
