Sikandar tanked because I couldn’t execute it well, says AR Murugadoss: ‘I pulled off a Ghajini because it was a remake’

Actor Salman Khan and filmmaker AR Murugadoss collaborated for the first time on Sikandar, but the film flopped at the box office.

Salman Khan's Sikandar released in March. (Photo: Zee Music Company/YouTube)

Salman Khan’s Sikandar was expected to be his Jawan moment, but the outcome was far from it. The superstar collaborated with acclaimed South filmmaker AR Murugadoss, the man behind hits like Ghajini and Holiday. Having already created magic for Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar, Murugadoss raised sky-high expectations when he announced a big-budget project with Salman. However, instead of delivering a blockbuster, Sikandar flopped at the box office, leaving fans disappointed.

Initially, Murugadoss attributed Sikandar’s underwhelming performance at the box office to a language barrier. However, in a recent interview with Velaipechu Voice, the filmmaker admitted that the real issue lay in his own execution.

“Actually, the base story is very emotional,” he said, adding, “It’s about a king who doesn’t truly understand his wife. We are all like that — whether it’s with our mother, friend, or wife, we often don’t value relationships. Only when someone leaves us forever do we feel the weight of guilt. In the film, when the king loses his wife, her organs are donated to three different people. He then seeks them out, trying to fulfill the things he couldn’t do for her. In the process, he befriends an entire village. The story was emotional, but I couldn’t execute it well.”

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AR Murugadoss also reflected on the difference between Ghajini and Sikandar: “I could pull off Ghajini because it was a remake, not an original script. I had already done it before, so I had complete command. With Sikandar, that wasn’t the case. I’m not saying I won’t return to Hindi cinema; I definitely will if I find my comfort zone. But when the audience can’t connect with my thinking, it affects me deeply.”

Despite the hype, Sikandar managed to collect only Rs 184.6 crore worldwide in 22 days, against an estimated budget of Rs 200 crore, making it one of the most underwhelming outings in Salman Khan’s career.

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