Sikandar
Cast: Salman Khan, Rashmika Mandanna, Kajal Aggarwal, Sathyaraj, Sharman Joshi, Prateik Babbar, Anjini Dhawan, Jatin Sarna
Director: AR Murugadoss
Rating: ★★
The trailer for Sikandar dropped barely a week before its release. Now there could be three reasons–one, a marketing strategy to sustain the maximum buzz till the release day. Second, the film was being shot till a few days ago, which one hears was also true. The third–and the frightening one–the makers weren’t confident. I leaned towards the third possibility as I exited the theatre after a 150-minute runtime. (Also Read | Sikandar box office prediction: Salman Khan film lags behind Vicky Kaushal’s Chhaava, won’t be able to beat Stree 2)
Salman Khan headlining an action film was once a formula for guaranteed success. However, Sikandar falls considerably short of the promised popcorn entertainment, hampered by a fundamentally weak narrative.
What is Sikandar about
The film revolves around Rajkot’s ‘Raja ji’ Sanjay Rajkot (Salman Khan) who is also called Sikandar. His ‘subjects’ love him for his compassion and empathy. His wife, Saishri (Rashmika Mandanna) is his rock, who protects him from danger without his knowledge. However, as is the case with any such film, a corrupt minister and his spoilt son get entangled with Sikandar, and what happens post that is the rest of the story.
About Sikandar’s direction, screenplay
The screenplay and direction, both by AR Murugadoss, are extremely dull. The film begins straightaway with Salman’s entry. You have practically nothing to look forward to post that because scenes feel rushed, especially in the first half. The editing by Vivek Harshan is choppy. A suggestion: the film could have introduced an element of surprise by basing itself around why Sikandar wants to protect three people specifically, similar to how the story unfolded in Salman’s own Sultan (2015). The second half could have been the revelation. The emotional impact is nil here due to the linear approach. It’s like a dumbed-down version of even the quintessential masala potboiler. I am a reviewer, not the director, yet I can’t help but point out how Sikandar could have been salvaged.
How is Salman Khan, Rashmika Mandanna in Sikandar
Salman still owns action scenes like a boss. You know he means business when he merely stands in a battlefield. Yet, Murugadoss’ direction is so below average, that it makes Salman appear even weaker an actor than he really is. And then there is Rashmika, whose dialogue delivery problems persist. She’s unconvincing, and virtually no scene allows her to redeem herself. Her character’s sole moment of self-awareness comes with the line addressing the age disparity between her and Salman: “Hamari umar mein fark zaroor hai, par soch mein nahi (There is a difference in our age but not in thoughts).” And please, let’s not even get started on the butchered version of Lata Mangeshkar’s Lag Jaa Gale, lip-synced as horribly by Rashmika’s character as it has been sung by Iulia Vantur.
What works for Sikandar, what doesn’t
Sharman Joshi, as Salman’s sidekick, shocks you by agreeing to take up this small role. What happened to the brilliant guy from 3 Idiots, the hilarious Laxman of Golmaal?
Sikandar has done one thing with pure dedication: casting as many people as possible and reducing them all to flowerpots. Sathyaraj, as Minister Pradhan, the antagonist, will go down in history as one of the worst casting choices. His dialogues, heavily dubbed, are all over the place. He’s not even as menacing as the nameless 100 henchmen Salman kills with one punch otherwise.
Prateik Babbar, in a small role as Arjun Pradhan, gets a hurried exit from the film, and he should be thankful because this film was not worth a place to stay.
Salman’s dialogues in many of his previous films, apart from his hooksteps, are iconic. Here, in Sikandar, neither of them stands out. The music is weak, and none of the songs leave a mark. Santhosh Narayanan’s background score works in a couple of places, all of them action sequences.
Overall, Sikandar is not the Eidi Salman used to promise to his legion of fans. Atleast bhai pehle samajh mein nahi, lekin dil mein toh aate the. Iss baar voh bhi almost tod diya.
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