# Mukesh Khanna wants Vande Mataram as national anthem, calls Jana Gana Mana tribute to Queen 2026-08-17T02:17:19+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Actor Mukesh Khanna has renewed his demand to replace 'Jana Gana Mana' with 'Vande Mataram' as India's national anthem, news.abplive.com reports. Speaking to IANS, Khanna claimed that Rabindranath Tagore wrote 'Jana Gana Mana' in tribute to Queen Elizabeth and that it is 'not ours'. He said 'Vande Mataram' is the rightful anthem. Khanna said he first raised the demand three years ago and wants the change to happen as soon as possible. He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for progress, saying 'Vande Mataram' is now compulsory in schools and functions. The actor, best known for playing Shaktimaan in the 1990s, said he has recorded a seven-minute version of Vande Mataram that he hopes will become iconic. ## Coverage - news.abplive.com This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Jana Gana Mana, Mukesh Khanna, Narendra Modi, Rabindranath Tagore, Vande Mataram Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/mukesh-khanna-wants-vande-mataram-as-national-anthem-calls-jana-gana-mana-tribute-to-queen/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/mukesh-khanna-wants-vande-mataram-as-national-anthem-calls-jana-gana-mana-tribute-to-queen/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/