Salman Khan’s action drama “Sikandar”, which hit theatres in March this year, entered cinemas with towering expectations but ended up struggling to make a mark at the box office.
While the film carried the weight of a grand production and Salman Khan’s star power, its reception was lukewarm; earning far less than what was anticipated. Now, director AR Murugadoss has spoken candidly about his experience of working with Salman and about the reasons behind the film’s underwhelming performance.
The filmmaker admitted that collaborating with a star of Salman’s stature was far from easy. He revealed that the actor would often arrive on set around 8 PM, which forced the team to shoot day sequences during the night. AR Murugadoss explained that while he was accustomed to starting work in the early hours of the day, the schedule had to be adapted entirely around the actor’s timings. This unusual routine also created difficulties for other performers on set. He recalled instances where even child actors had to shoot late at night, sometimes around 2 AM, despite scenes requiring them to portray school-going children returning home in daylight. According to him, the children would often be exhausted and occasionally doze off in between shots.
Reflecting on the film’s failure, AR Murugadoss did not shy away from taking responsibility. He admitted that while the core idea of the story was powerful and deeply emotional, his execution did not do justice to it. The director described the plot as the journey of a king who never truly understands his wife. After her de*th, her organs are donated to three people, and the king sets out to meet them as a way of fulfilling what he could not do for her in her lifetime. In this journey, he bonds with an entire village. AR Murugadoss stressed that the story had the right emotions but his inability to translate them effectively on screen led to its lack of impact.
Sikandar marked AR Murugadoss’ return to Bollywood after nearly a decade, his last Hindi directorial being Akira in 2016. That film, starring Sonakshi Sinha, Anurag Kashyap and Konkona Sen Sharma, also struggled commercially, managing only Rs 43.90 crore against a budget of Rs 30 crore.
In Sikandar, Salman Khan played Sanjay “Sikandar” Rajkot, a man driven by personal tragedy to protect three individuals whose lives were changed by his late wife’s selfless act. The narrative placed him in conflict with a vengeful politician. Alongside Salman, the film featured Rashmika Mandanna, Kajal Aggarwal, Sathyaraj, Sharman Joshi and Prateik Babbar. Despite its ensemble cast and large-scale production, the film ended up earning just Rs 184.6 crore worldwide against a reported budget of Rs 200 crore and reviews from critics ranged from mixed to negative.
While “Sikandar” may not have lived up to expectations, Salman Khan is already moving forward with his next project. He will headline Apoorva Lakhia’s “Battle of Galwan”, a war drama based on the 2020 Galwan Valley clash between India and China. The film has generated significant anticipation and is being viewed as one of the most awaited releases of the coming year.
