Sikandar Review: Salman Khan's Star Power Can't Save A Predictable Action Flick With Little Substance

Salman Khan is once again set up to fight goons, with the same old tropes we’ve seen for years.

For a long time, I’ve believed that there are three types of films: good films, bad films, and Salman Khan films. But after watching 'Sikandar', it seems like a fourth type has emerged — Salman Khan's terrible films, like 'Sikandar', which are a waste of both time and money. Renowned critic Mayank Shekhar once said, "Reviewing a Salman Khan film is like ironing underwear," meaning it doesn't matter. His fans watch them anyway. But now, the times have changed, and it's all about those Instagram influencers asking, "What color underwear are you wearing?" It’s like now, from the script to the screenplay, everything matters. Just the star power of someone like Salman Khan can’t force people to come to the theater. And here, the director fails to utilize even a star like Salman properly.

Storyline

The plot of 'Sikandar' doesn’t offer anything new or exciting. Salman plays the role of a king from Rajkot, and Rashmika is his queen. Sikandar beats up the son of a powerful politician on a flight for misbehaving with a woman. The politician then becomes his enemy. Later, Rashmika's character dies, and her organs are donated to three people who are now in danger because Sikandar loves her. So, Salman has to once again fight goons to save these three people. In short, it’s the same old story — Salman beating up villains, repeatedly. At times, it feels like the film is slapping the audience in the face, saying, "Why expect more from my film?"

Is It Worth Watching?

This film feels like any regular South Indian movie — nothing new here. Salman is once again set up to fight goons, with the same old tropes we’ve seen for years. The film struggles to convince the audience; Salman, the great king, has a police officer informing him about threats to his wife. Isn’t the king supposed to have better protection? The film doesn’t manage to hold your attention. In today’s world, where amazing films are available on OTT platforms, this movie feels outdated. If it had been released 10 years ago, it might have felt impressive. But now, with the world’s content at our fingertips, this film feels stale, old, and underwhelming. It’s also disappointing to see such a big star like Salman not being used properly. Salman has proven his acting chops in films like Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Sultan, but filmmakers seem to think he’s only capable of action and romance. This mentality needs to change. Both cinema and Salman need to evolve, especially when it comes to storytelling.

Salman Khan's Dull Presence

Salman’s performance lacks depth. He doesn’t come across as the powerful king, neither in terms of look nor attitude. At times, he seems lazy on screen, as if he’s doing the audience a favor by acting. The action scenes are just average; Salman has done much better in previous films. Some may argue that he’s 60 now, but even at 60, he’s romancing a heroine half his age, and we’re paying to see him on the big screen. So, expectations are natural. But Salman doesn’t manage to impress in this film. Rashmika Mandanna seems overused in big films now, and her character here lacks depth. Her performance feels flat, and her South Indian accent stands out. Kajal Aggarwal does an okay job, and Satyaraj, as the villain, doesn’t bring anything remarkable to the table. His character isn’t well-written. As for Sharman Joshi, his role could have been played by anyone. His inclusion in this film is puzzling. Pratik Babbar is decent, and Jatin Sarna stands out as the taxi driver. Anjini Dhawan probably joined the film for Salman but doesn’t have much to offer. Sanjay Kapoor is fine, but his role is forgettable.

Direction and Storytelling

Directed by A.R. Murugadoss, the same director who gave us 'Ghajini', the film fails to live up to his previous successes. He claimed this film was better than Ghajini, but watching it, you can't help but laugh at that statement. It seems like Murugadoss couldn't fully utilize Salman’s potential. Instead of crafting a compelling story, he just relied on action and romance — and even that doesn’t come off well. The narrative jumps around so much that it becomes hard to follow.

Music That Doesn’t Hit the Right Note

The music, composed by Pritam, is a letdown. It's hard to believe it’s the same Pritam who has produced some of the most memorable songs in Bollywood. Here, not a single track stands out or is memorable. The background score by Santosh Narayanan also doesn’t make an impact.

Final Thoughts

Overall, watching this film feels like a waste of money. However, if you’re a die-hard Salman fan, it’s up to you whether you want to watch it.