Sony Pictures India confirms film on Indian superhero Shaktimaan

After a spate of Western superheroes, the big screen will bear witness to India's first successful superhero franchise, Shaktimaan.

The popular Doordarshan series will now be turned into a feature film. Sony Pictures India has purchased the rights for the film adaptation of the character.

The studio made an official announcement of the project yesterday, with a teaser portraying the Shaktimaan symbol. 'After the super success of our many superhero films in India and all over the globe, it's time for our desi Superhero!' the announcement read.

The studio has tied up with Brewing Thoughts Pvt Ltd (founded by Prashant Singh and Madhurya Vinay) and Mukesh Khanna's Bheeshm International on the project. 

The teaser begins with visuals of Mumbai before panning to outer space where key elements of the Shaktimaan costume come into focus. The flying spectacles, camera, identity card are elements of Shaktimaan's disguise as Gangadhar Shastri, a photojournalist who works for the newspaper, Aaj Ki Awaaz.

The announcement teaser is built on animated visuals, with the focus being the iconic Shaktimaan symbol. There has been no announcement of the cast or crew. However, the teaser came with the declaration that the franchise will be 'headlined by one of India's superstars'. Reports suggest the series will be adapted as a trilogy of films.

Conceptualized by actor-producer Mukesh Khanna, Shaktimaan was aired on Doordarshan National from 1997 to 2005. The series was the first indigenous superhero and became very popular among children. Khanna played the titular role in the series which ran for eight years on national television.