Salman Khan's recent film Sikandar, directed by AR Murugadoss was released in March this year amid much anticipation but failed to resonate with fans and audiences. In a recent interview, he admitted to the film's debacle, noting several reasons for its underperformance, one of which he pointed to was Salman's non-cooperation for the movie's filming. Ever since video clips of his interview went viral, Salman Khan's fans have been calling out the filmmaker for "attacking" the actor.
Several social media users asked the director to "acknowledge his failure" and underlined how the responsibility lies with him as a filmmaker leading the project. Others noted how he has had underperforming films with stars like Rajinikanth as well. Many attributed Sikandar's failure to the lack of a strong script.
The issue started when Murugadoss, in an interview with Valaipechu Voice, took responsibility for the film’s underperformance, stating that he was unable to execute his vision for the movie. It was here he noted how Salman would turn up on set at 8 pm even to shoot day scenes.
"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.”
He 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."
Apart from Salman Khan, the film, which marked the director's return after nine years to Hindi cinema, also had Rashmika Mandanna, Kajal Aggarwal, Sharman Joshi, Sathyaraj, Jatin Sarna, Sanjay Kapoor, Prateik Babbar and Kishore in pivotal roles. Upon release, the film received mostly negative reviews.
Up next, AR Murugadoss is awaiting the release of Madharaasi, starring Sivakarthikeyan in the lead.
Madharaasi marks the first collaboration between Sivakarthikeyan and Murugadoss, while it is a reunion between the director and Vidyut Jammwal after the 2012 film Thuppakki. The film also stars Rukmini Vasanth as the female lead, her second film in Tamil after this year's Ace. Biju Menon, Vikranth, and Shabeer Kallarakkal will also be seen in pivotal roles.