For years, if not decades, simply by bankrolling a movie with the name Salman Khan attached
to it meant box office success, especially on Eid. His films are a genre unto themselves, a
combination of larger-than-life heroism, jumping through the air with a heroic twist, and sheer
cinematic sizzle. Sikandar Khan’s Eid 2025 release was no different. Being touted as a stylish,
high-octane action-drama with the highly regarded AR Murugadoss running the show, it was a
blockbuster waiting to happen; many polls listed it as the most anticipated Indian film of the
year. However, after its release, the story continued to unfold. Here is a look at Sikandar’s
journey from astronomical buzz, through its box office take, and various fan and critic reactions.
The Box Office Fizzle
Even after an exuberant opening, Sikandar’s box office run was unsuccessful. In line with many
of his other films, Sikandar managed to start out fairly strong thanks to its opening crowds, but it
quickly faded as days went by. The film experienced a lot of profit loss not just compared to its
first few showings, but even quickly after opening day it had an abrupt negative change in total
collections. After quickly crossing over the ₹200 crore mark worldwide, the domestic release
couldn’t even scrape up to ₹150 crores domestically and was soon out beat by many 2025 films
after its run. Mahavatar Narasimha, an animated film, ended up outperforming its prior domestic
box office run, and to take away collections from a film that spent 500 million rupees, this is a
loss for even a star about Salman Khan’s caliber. With bad domestic numbers beginning to pile
the film up to a Mainly commercial failure, more than a production loss, a lot of people who
follow khan and Bollywood, even his Eid releases were quick to call this a commercial failure.
More than likely due the film losing real time audience interest after the first few days, it seems
that even someone of that caliber can’t usually bank on their name alone to produce a strong
box office after a sustained period of time!
A Divisive Reaction: Fan Love vs. Critical Scrutiny
The responses to Sikandar were as contradictory as the film’s box office take. For one part of
the audience, the film fulfilled what it promised; a mass audience “mass entertainer” in the Hindi
cinema tradition. They enjoyed Salman Khan’s commanding presence in front of the camera
and the fight scenes. They enjoyed it because it did what a Bollywood action film would do. But
a majority of critics and regular movie audiences did not buy this. The reviews were mainly
critical or plainly negative. Many described this film as a “disaster.” The film was written off by
critics as unoriginal and reformist; boring direction, unimaginative screenplay, and a
underwhelming plot. The critics noticed that this film had a disconnected and incoherent
hodgepodge of plots. They also felt that the acting lack seriousness. As critics pointed out that
Salman Khan had to play an emotional performance and this was not in keeping with his level of
acting ability. Critics had to mention the tiredness of standardized delivery of Khan’s speech.
Critics found that the actor Khan had did not have on screen chemistry with his co-star
Rashmika Mandanna.
The Problem with the “Formula”
One of the main criticisms of Sikandar was that it was based on an old formula that had run its
course. The film was about so many different things that it had no clear focus. It addressed
social issues such as pollution and patriarchy, but it treated those subject matters in a very
flimsy way, which made the hero’s involvement seem self-serving. The significant criticisms
claimed the film was more invested in promoting Salman Khan’s image as a sensitive savior
than it was in the film’s narrative. The plot, regarding a grieving husband helping out the organ
recipients of his deceased wife, seemed like a flimsy reason for the hero to do something
heroic. The visual effects for the action sequences were large in scale, but boring because they
were all redundant without any true tension. In the end, the combination of not telling a
coherent, engaging story or having an interesting soundtrack or background music ultimately did
Sikandar regardless of anything redeeming. Sikandar became a case study where the old
formula for a blockbuster was not enough to engage and appease today’s audience which is
concerned enough with substance and originality.
What Is The Legacy?
The legacy of Sikandar is nuanced. On the one hand, it illustrated that as popular as Salman
Khan is as a star, his holds no power in determining a movie’s quality. Sikandar also proved that
audiences are becoming far more discerning and will never for one second of any of the wasting
there time in theaters as they have no interest in weak movies, regardless of the stars and
people involved. The film also illustrated the dilemmas associated with making a film that is for
the audience, but also honors the very specific image of a particular star. Considering that its
failure to uphold the promise of the original film has got Bollywood questioning what happens
next for Salman Khan and the films he chooses to make, it reminded people that in cinema,
sometimes the latest movies featuring the most popular stars can mistake the audience and
lead to disapointing experiences everyday.