1 week Ago
By now, it’s clear that Salman Khan’s latest film Sikandar is not performing well at the box office and can arguably be labelled his biggest failure since 2010—excluding Antim , where he played more of a glorified supporting role in a film headlined by his brother-in-law, Aayush Sharma. While the makers claim that the movie has crossed the INR 100 crore mark in India, trade sources suggest that, at the time of writing, Sikandar is still struggling to even touch that milestone, sitting at INR 98.75 crore.
And let me remind you - it’s already in its second week. More importantly, this is a Salman Khan film; the same star who, not too long ago, could hit the INR 100 crore mark within two days of release. And this is a film reportedly made on an INR 200 crore budget.
‘Sikandar’ Box Office Verdict – Hit or Flop: 5 Reasons Why Salman Khan Needs To Be Worried About His New Movie Release . Directed by AR Murugadoss, handling Salman Khan for the first time, Sikandar was positioned as the actor’s grand comeback after the lukewarm reception to Tiger 3 in 2023. Salman even took a year-long break to focus solely on this film, refraining from signing any new projects during that time - barring early buzz around a film with Atlee, which now appears to be the one the director is making with Allu Arjun.
Rashmika Mandanna starred as the female lead, considered something of a lucky charm in trade circles after her back-to-back hits: Animal, Pushpa 2: The Rule , and Chhaava . Producer Sajid Nadiadwala has also had a successful track record with Salman, having delivered hits like Jeet, Judwaa, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi , and Kick (which he directed himself). Add to that the trend of South directors delivering massive hits - most recently Atlee with Jawan and Sandeep Reddy Vanga with Kabir Singh and Animal - and Sikandar seemingly had all the ingredients for success.
So where did it all go wrong? Sometimes, all it takes is a strong trailer or the right pre-release hype to reignite excitement. The teaser for Sikandar did manage to generate some early buzz. However, the full trailer failed to make much of an impact, and Pritam’s soundtrack didn’t strike a chord with Salman fans - something essential for his movies to click.
The trailer evoked memories of Jai Ho , and the pairing of Salman Khan and Rashmika Mandanna felt awkward, with their significant age gap all too evident. Salman, too, appeared visibly tired and stiff. Jab trailer hi aisa ho toh film se kya hi expect karoge? Before diving into the film itself, let’s address the elephant in the room—Salman Khan.
Although his films have consistently crossed the INR 100 crore mark since 2010’s Dabangg (again, excluding Antim ), not all of them have been profitable, especially considering their ballooning budgets. His last true blockbuster remains Tiger Zinda Hai from 2017. Since then, even movies that hit INR 100 or INR 200 crore have struggled to deliver real returns.
Tiger 3 , for instance, fell short of expectations despite being part of a successful franchise and following the massive success of Pathaan . Salman Khan Box Office: From ‘Dabangg’ to ‘Sikandar’, 18 ‘Bhai’ Movies That Crossed INR 100 Crore in India – How Many Were Actually Hits? But beyond box office numbers, it's Salman the performer who desperately needs a reset. He was never known for nuanced acting, but he had unmistakable swag, charisma, and a deep connection with his fanbase.
His presence alone could elevate an otherwise mediocre action drama. Now, however, he appears disinterested. His dialogue delivery is monotonous, his emotional scenes feel forced, and he sleepwalks through repetitive roles - always the benevolent do-gooder who punches bad guys and solves everyone’s problems.
In contrast, audiences are now spoilt for choice with better-crafted, better-acted action films from the South - ironically, the genre Salman once ruled. Sikandar is a result of his and his team’s pointed refusal to acknowledge that his box office draw is fading. Unfortunately, the film matches its lead actor’s evident disinterest.
While the visuals may hint at high production value, the direction, writing, editing, and even supporting performances are all underwhelming. Critics widely agree that AR Murugadoss - already on a downward spiral - has delivered perhaps his weakest film yet. And this is the same filmmaker behind 7aum Arivu and Darbar , which now feel almost competent in comparison.
At least 7aum Arivu had a well-executed prologue. Sikandar offers nothing of the sort - it comes across as a tired remix of past Salman and Murugadoss projects. ‘Sikandar’ Movie Review: A Bored Salman Khan Sleepwalks Through AR Murugadoss’ Most Lifeless Film Yet .
Before diving into the film itself, let’s address the elephant in the room—Salman Khan. Although his films have consistently crossed the INR 100 crore mark since 2010’s Dabangg (again, excluding Antim ), not all of them have been profitable, especially considering their ballooning budgets. His last true blockbuster remains Tiger Zinda Hai from 2017.
Since then, even movies that hit INR 100 or INR 200 crore have struggled to deliver real returns. Tiger 3 , for instance, fell short of expectations despite being part of a successful franchise and following the massive success of Pathaan . Salman Khan Box Office: From ‘Dabangg’ to ‘Sikandar’, 18 ‘Bhai’ Movies That Crossed INR 100 Crore in India – How Many Were Actually Hits? But beyond box office numbers, it's Salman the performer who desperately needs a reset.
He was never known for nuanced acting, but he had unmistakable swag, charisma, and a deep connection with his fanbase. His presence alone could elevate an otherwise mediocre action drama. Now, however, he appears disinterested.
His dialogue delivery is monotonous, his emotional scenes feel forced, and he sleepwalks through repetitive roles - always the benevolent do-gooder who punches bad guys and solves everyone’s problems. In contrast, audiences are now spoilt for choice with better-crafted, better-acted action films from the South - ironically, the genre Salman once ruled. Sikandar is a result of his and his team’s pointed refusal to acknowledge that his box office draw is fading.
Unfortunately, the film matches its lead actor’s evident disinterest. While the visuals may hint at high production value, the direction, writing, editing, and even supporting performances are all underwhelming. Critics widely agree that AR Murugadoss - already on a downward spiral - has delivered perhaps his weakest film yet.
And this is the same filmmaker behind 7aum Arivu and Darbar , which now feel almost competent in comparison. At least 7aum Arivu had a well-executed prologue. Sikandar offers nothing of the sort - it comes across as a tired remix of past Salman and Murugadoss projects.
‘Sikandar’ Movie Review: A Bored Salman Khan Sleepwalks Through AR Murugadoss’ Most Lifeless Film Yet . One could argue that piracy is now a given - most films see HD prints leaked online within hours of release - so it shouldn't really be a reason for Sikandar's failure. Chhaava , for instance, was leaked on day one and still turned into a massive success.
That said, Sikandar faced a more unusual situation: its pirated version surfaced before the first public screening. While most producers try to keep such leaks under wraps, Sikandar 's leak was bizarrely well-publicised the very morning of its release. This led some to speculate whether the leak was an inside job to compensate for the fact that the movie had low pre-sales buzz.
Moreover, those who watched both the theatrical and pirated versions claimed that the latter included scenes expanding on subplots - scenes that might have improved the narrative flow had they been properly edited into the final cut. Salman Khan’s ‘Sikandar’ Leaked Online: Pirated Version Features Additional Scenes and a Bizarre Omission – Here’s the Proof! Salman Khan films are often touted as "critic-proof", but that claim doesn’t always hold up. Yes, many of his films cross the INR 100 crore mark, but those with universally negative reviews tend to underperform - just look at Dabangg 3 and Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan .
In Sikandar ’s case, the backlash wasn’t limited to critics. Audiences - including loyal Salman fans - were vocal in their disappointment. Social media was abuzz with hashtags like #PleaseStopSalman and #SalmanKhanRetire.
When your most die-hard supporters - the ones who stood by you through your worst films and personal controversies - start urging you to reflect, maybe it’s time to really listen. That is, of course, if Salman Khan still cares about cinema. Or at least about his fans.
(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.) (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 09, 2025 09:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.
com )..
