When Akshay Kumar portrayed Prithviraj Chauhan in the 2022 film Samrat Prithviraj, his performance faced significant criticism. At the time, he had urged authorities to revise history textbooks so that students could learn more about the king. Now, four years later, when asked about the king on the quiz show KBC 18, Akshay admitted that he had never heard of the Battle of Tarain. He remarked that while he was aware of the South Korean film Train to Busan, he had no knowledge of the Battle of Tarain.
Akshay appeared as a guest on KBC 18 alongside Saif Ali Khan to promote their upcoming film Haivaan. The duo faced the Maha Sawaal, a round in which contestants are not provided with multiple-choice options. A correct answer earns them a lifeline, while an incorrect answer results in no deduction from their prize money.
What was the KBC 18 question?
Show host Amitabh Bachchan asked: Which Indian ruler won the First Battle of Tarain? Initially, Akshay and Saif acted as if they did not know the answer. Looking at Akshay, Saif said, “I’ve never heard of the Battle of Tarain. Have you?” Akshay did not respond. Saif then said, “I’m telling you, it’s either Prithviraj Chauhan or Chandragupta Maurya.” He added, “I’ve never heard of the Battle of Tarain.”
Akshay continued, “I’ve heard of Train to Busan, but not the Battle of Tarain.” After a brief pause, he said, “Let’s pick Prithviraj Chauhan.” They then locked in Prithviraj Chauhan as their answer, which was correct.
People criticised Akshay Kumar
People did not appreciate Akshay Kumar appearing confused about the answer, given that he had played the role of the king in a film just a few years earlier.
A Reddit user wrote, “It’s sad that we didn’t find an actor who showed at least some enthusiasm for playing such a historical character.” Another user wrote, “He had to finish shooting in 43 days. There was no time to study. The poor guy had to rely on a teleprompter for his dialogues.”
Another user called him a “teleprompter star”.
Akshay Kumar had requested the government
In a 2022 conversation with ANI while promoting Samrat Prithviraj, Akshay stated that school history books did not provide enough information about Indian kings and requested authorities to look into the matter. He said, “Unfortunately, our history books contain only two or three lines about Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan, whereas a lot is written about the invaders. Hardly anything is mentioned about our culture and our maharajas. I was surprised to learn that there are so many things about Emperor Prithviraj Chauhan that we are unaware of.
He further added, “I would like to appeal to the Education Minister to look into this matter and see if any changes can be made. We can strike a balance. I am not saying we shouldn’t learn about the Mughals, but a balance must be maintained. We should also learn about our own kings; they were great too. This information needs to be brought to light.”
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