Sikandar: Where Salman meets 80s bollywood & logic takes a vacation

He is the King of Rajkot, but has forty-nine cases pending.

He loves to jive with his Queen to the tune of 'Zohra Jabeen'. But doesn't have time to view her exclusive painting.

He has the penchant of breaking bones of a dozen bozos anytime, din ho ya raat time.

He roams around in a Kaali-Peeli cab in Mumbai's Dharavi.

...and also disciplines a minister's son mid-air with some maara maari .

He's called Sanjay, Raja Saahab, Santa Uncle, Sikandar, etc etc. Truly, such a multifaceted multi-colored character can only be played by superstar Salman Khan. And he does it with complete ease and restraint in A.R. Murugadoss' Sikandar, a film which has its intention right but goes quite wrong in execution.

Haphazardly assembled with a strong '80s hangover, Sikandar actually starts on a promising note in an aeroplane, where Salman saves a lady passenger from molestation. It is one of his better introductions in recent times and sets our expectations for a hi-octane solid actioner.

No such luck, Sikandar soon turns in to a mushy family drama of sorts, with Rani Rashmika vying for her Rajaji Salman before getting bumped off within the first half hour itself. While her death scene packs the right emotion, the organ transplant angle may not connect with one and all. Okie, so the Rani's organs were donated for a good cause, but why on earth is Salman bhai meeting and protecting her donees for no rhyme or reason. Beats me!!

Worse, the baddie minister is also after these three donees just to avenge his son. Pointless exercise, I would say. The entire second half becomes an extension of Salman's far superior Jai Ho (2014), where he takes up multiple social causes from environmental pollution to women empowerment. Throughout the intention is noble but the presentation ain't!! 

On the technical front, the action sequences are finely choreographed. Particularly, the airbound one with Prateik and later, the mishap at a quarry. But somehow, Bhai appears surprisingly stiff and static while beating up those hundred bad boys. Music is a downer with not one song staying with you after the end credits.

Performance wise, Rashmika Mandanna leaves a mighty impression even in a small role. Her character keeps popping up as a memory just like Aishwarya did in Aditya Chopra’s Mohabbatein (2000). Prateik Babbar is memorable as the plane wala baddie. On the other hand, Sathyaraj (Katappa of Bahubali) is ineffective as the main villain and Sharman Joshi is reduced to a glorified extra.

Overall, Sikandar has its intention noble but the execution is stuck in the Bachchan era of the '80s. Heck, Salman even references a few dialogues of Deewaar (1975) here and there. Get the drift!!

Ratings on some key aspects* :
1. Acting : 3/5
2. Direction : 2.5/5
3. Music : 2/5
4. Story, Screenplay and Dialogue : 2/5
5. Cinematography : 3/5
6. Editing : 2.5/5
7. Costume Design : 3/5
8. Special Effects and VFX : NA
9. Action : 3/5
10. Production Quality : 3.5/5

#SNRating for #Sikandar : 2 & 1/2 stars out of 5.

- Sumeet Nadkarni

* - The overall film rating is not a simple average of all ratings on key aspects but a weighted average of the ratings where some crucial aspects (like direction, acting, story and screenplay etc) are assigned more weightage than others.

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#SNRatings barometer:
1 star = Poor
1 & 1/2 star = Below average/ Avoidable
2 stars = Average
2 & 1/2 stars = Above average/ Risk it
3 stars = Good enough/ Endurable
3 & 1/2 stars = Definitely worth a watch
4 stars = Very good
5 stars = Masterpiece/ Outstanding.

2025 SNRatings. 

About Sumeet Nadkarni:

Sumeet Nadkarni is a Chartered Accountant by profession and a self-styled film critic by passion. He reviews Bollywood movies and OTT releases on his popular personal blog #SNRatings. His film-related articles have appeared in leading publications in India. With a keen eye for cinematic detail and a knack for insightful critiques, Sumeet brings a unique perspective to the world of Indian cinema. Follow him for the latest Bollywood insights and unbiased film reviews. #FilmCritique #BollywoodReviewer