A.R. Murugadoss’ Sikandar, starring Salman Khan, Rashmika Mandanna, and Kajal Aggarwal, released amid huge expectations but failed to live up to the hype. The film was mounted as a major action entertainer, yet it struggled to deliver at the box office. Now, Murugadoss has explained the unusual hurdles he faced while making the project.
The director revealed that the film was shot during a particularly tense phase when Salman Khan had received multiple threats. Security concerns forced the production to operate under strict restrictions. Murugadoss said he was asked to shoot only after 9 PM and only in indoor locations. These conditions limited his ability to plan and execute the film the way he had originally envisioned.
Scheduling also became a major roadblock. Salman reportedly arrived late to the sets most days, which pushed filming even further into the night. Because of this, a large portion of Sikandar was shot against green mats, with the team relying heavily on VFX to recreate daylight effects. This added significant strain on the post-production process.
“It’s not easy to shoot with Salman Khan. Even day scenes, we have to shoot at night because he turns up on set only by 8 PM. We are used to shooting right from early mornings, but that’s not how things work there. 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,” Murugadoss revealed.
The director also pointed to constant interference in the scripting process. Multiple people suggested spot changes during the shoot, which he said disrupted the flow and created inconsistencies in the storytelling. According to him, all these factors combined made it difficult to shape the film into what it was meant to be.
On the work front, Murugadoss is now pinning hopes on Madharasi, a pan-India film starring Siva Karthikeyan and Rukmini Vasanth. The film is set to release on September 5 and is seen as an important comeback opportunity for the director, who has been dealing with a string of flops.
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