Every year, when Eid comes around, Salman Khan fans are hopeful. For the past 15 years, the Indian superstar has ensured that he has a movie coming out on Eid. This year’s offering is the A R Murugadoss-directed Sikandar.
Unfortunately for fans of Bhai (as Salman Khan is affectionately known in India), Sikandar is a very confusing movie.
The story takes the usual cliché; a man of the people fighting against corrupt politicians. And the premise could’ve been more interesting if it had gotten a better treatment.
Let’s start at the beginning, and by that, I mean the beginning of the movie. The audience is thrown right into the fire, with no buildup and no context. One feels like Murugadoss – who both wrote and directed this film – envisioned a bunch of ‘mass’ scenes for Salman Khan, and then tried to weave a story between those scenes.
There is an emotional undertone to the story, but the audience isn’t given enough context or character development to identify with them. The plot, overall, just feels undercooked and disjointed.
It’s the same case with the villain played by Sathyaraj. The character feels like a cheap imitation of what could’ve been a great villain if the story permitted it. But now, it just feels like a caricature of a ‘corrupt politician’.
It’s not all bad news, though.
Salman Khan proves why he is one of the most bankable and successful stars in Indian cinema, once again.
His entrance is just pure aura farming. And the action sequences are slick and stylish, even if they do go on for a little too long at times. But it’s what we’ve come to expect from Salman films; Bhai hitting a goon, a lot of jump cuts, and the camera refocuses back on to Bhai hitting a pose.
Love it or hate it, the formula still works.
Salman Khan also does a commendable job in the emotional scenes, conveying heartbreak and sorrow convincingly enough.
Overall, Sikandar is a treat for hardcore Salman Khan fans and an Eid miss for others.
Verdict: Lots of action with no sting.
– Deviprasad Nair
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