31 March,2025 07:05 AM IST | Mumbai | Priyanka Sharma
A still from Sikandar
Reviewing a film can be tough due to many factors, but it becomes the toughest task when one is writing about what can be called as âhalf a film'. This is superstar Salman Khan's Eid release Sikandar, which makes sense as a movie only till the interval. Once upon a time, the demi-God of Bollywood said on screen, "Mujhe pe ek ehsaan karna, ki koi ehsaan mat karna." It's not explicitly spelt but every frame with Khan in Sikandar feels like one big favour he is doing the audience.
There's nothing in Sikandar that's not seen in a Salman Khan film before. There's a saviour, his love interest, some music and lots of action. There's another similarity. Like most of Khan's recent outings, Sikandar is an example of poor film-making, and its grossly uninterested leading man. In fact, the film goes one step further, with an absent screenplay in its second half. Post-interval, Sikandar is just a thread of scenes without any transition, reason, or rhyme. Director-writer AR Murugadoss has delivered failures earlier as well, but what do you call an attempt which doesn't even go the full distance?
Over the last 15 years, Khan has achieved the status of a screen figure who doesn't need the act in the actor to deliver a success. In fact, Khan's unparalleled star power has ensured that his movies begin and end at him alone - where people go to watch Salman Khan, not his films. Naturally, when the same star sleepwalks through the entire duration of a film, refuses to modulate his voice according to the scene requirement, and epitomises stiffness, one gets nothing on screen. It's a travesty when the story at hand holds potential. An actioner anchored in emotions would have looked like a completely different film had Khan been in form. It's not to say that he hasn't tried. He looks in control of the action pieces - also the saving grace of the otherwise bloated, boring film - and surrenders to some of the emotional beats of the story. But his facial muscles refuse to support him. His sluggish walk doesn't help either. Even before he has gotten a punch, Khan looks defeated.
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Everything about Sikandar reminds one of the charm, agility and the sheer fun that Khan used to exude on screen until a few years ago. This is not a comment on his appearance. But it's evident that the star, whose presence alone used to elevate a moment at a time, today diffuses whatever little energy is left in a scene.
One can only wish Sikandar becomes the same reminder for Khan, and when he comes on screen the next time, he is armed with the assurance of entertainment. Kyunki, ek bar jo maine commitment kar di...
