Big Hopes for an Eid Blockbuster
Salman Khan teaming up with Rashmika Mandanna for Sikandar had everyone’s attention months before its release. When the film hit theaters on March 30, 2025—just in time for the Eid celebrations—the buzz was through the roof. Add in an ensemble cast with names like Kajal Aggarwal, Sharman Joshi, Sanjay Kapoor, and Prateik Babbar, plus veteran director A R Murugadoss at the helm, and you’d expect fireworks at the box office.
Talk about ambition: Sikandar came together with a colossal ₹200 crore budget. The action drama centers on Sanjay ‘Sikandar’ Rajkot, a man desperate to make amends for a tragic past and forced to square off with a powerful, vengeful politician. Filmed across Mumbai and Hyderabad, with shooting kicking off in June 2024 and wrapping up just before release, this was no small affair. Even the technical crew was top notch, with Pritam handling the music, background scores by Santhosh Narayanan, and slick cinematography from Tirru.
From High Hopes to Harsh Realities
You’d think a project with all these elements stacked in its favor would be unstoppable. But the reality was a hard pill for fans and producers alike. Reviews poured in almost as soon as the first screenings finished, and they were brutal. Critics tore apart the film’s screenplay and direction, calling it unfocused and muddled. The massive budget and glitzy cast couldn’t hide cracks in the storytelling or lackluster execution.
While opening day collections showed some initial promise—thanks in part to the Eid release slot and Salman’s loyal audience—the drop-off was fast. Word of mouth traveled quickly, and moviegoers opted for other options rather than lining up for a ticket. The multi-crore investment hardly translated at the box office, with soft numbers piling up and the movie making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
This wasn’t just another release for Salman Khan either. The film marked his return to working with producer Sajid Nadiadwala after their famous 2014 hit Kick. Back then, their partnership set cash registers ringing. This time, things played out very differently, illustrating just how unpredictable Bollywood can be—even for the biggest names in the industry.
Sensing the writing on the wall, the makers quickly set up a digital release, launching the film on a major OTT platform on May 25, 2025—just weeks after theatres went dark for Sikandar. Whether streaming will offer the movie a second life remains to be seen, but the theatrical run is already being discussed as one of the year’s most disappointing flops. For fans of action dramas and big Bollywood spectacles, this was not the Eid treat they had been hoping for.
