Salman Khan’s Sikandar had everything going for it. From his massive fan base to Rashmika Mandanna’s popularity and AR Murugadoss’ success in Bollywood, expectations were high. But despite all this, the film fell flat at the box office. Now, Murugadoss has opened up about what went wrong and pointed to his struggle with the Hindi language as a key reason. “When we make films in our mother tongue, it gives us strength. We know what is happening here. Today, there is a trend going and suddenly the audience gets connected with that trend. When we shift language, we do not know what the youngsters are enjoying in that language. All we need is a script to believe it,” he said.
The director also explained how writing in one language and then translating it twice creates distance from the original idea. “For once, I can take up Telugu films, but Hindi may not work for us because after we write the script, they translate it into English. Then it is again translated into Hindi,” he shared. According to him, this process made it harder to relate to what the Hindi audience wants.
He admitted the confusion often continued during filming. “We can only guess what they are saying, but we are not exactly sure about what is happening,” he said. “When you make a film in an unknown language and place, it feels like you are handicapped. It is like you do not have hands. I strongly believe our strength depends on where and which culture we come from.” This came as a surprise to many, especially since his earlier Hindi films like Ghajini and Holiday did well with both critics and audiences.
Sikandar, however, missed the mark. Critics slammed it for its weak writing, dull direction, and flat performances. Salman played Sanjay Sikandar Rajkot, a man who steps in to protect three organ recipients after the death of his wife, played by Rashmika Mandanna. Her emotional storyline was meant to drive the plot, but the film failed to deliver the impact and energy people expect from a Salman Khan movie.
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