AR Murugadoss helmed Salman Khan`s much-awaited film Sikandar, which released in March 2025. Unfortunately, the film bombed at the box office. The filmmaker recently reflected on its failure and the challenges of shooting the actioner. He recalled how they would have to film day scenes at night since Salman would arrive late to sets.
AR Murugadoss says it was challenging to shoot with Salman Khan
During a recent interview with Valaipechu Voice, AR Murugadoss expressed that it is not easy to shoot with stars since their different schedules create problems for other actors. He said, “It’s not easy to shoot with a star. Even day scenes, we have to shoot at night because he turns up to sets only by 8 PM. We are people who are used to shooting right from early mornings, but that’s not how things work there.”
The filmmaker added, “If there were four kids in a scene, we would have to shoot with them at 2 AM, even if it’s the shot of them returning from school! They would become tired by that time and usually dozed off.”
AR Murugadoss on Sikandar`s failure
AR Murugadoss admitted that Sikandar’s failure was due to its execution. He shared, “Actually, the base story is very emotional. 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 fulfil 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.”
Comparing Sikandar with Ghajini, Murugadoss reflected on why the latter had succeeded while Salman’s film failed. He revealed, “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.”
