A whisper lingers still, long past its cinema run, about why Sikandar – Salman Khan’s latest action tale – stumbled where triumph was predicted. From the mind of director AR Murugadoss, backed by a purse said to near Rs 200 crore, hopes stood sky-high for record-breaking returns. Yet behind the noise, the numbers tell another story: just Rs 176 crore gathered globally, not enough to clear the bar set by anticipation. Though Salman’s name lit up marquees everywhere, receipts dimmed early, puzzling experts who now point fingers in different directions searching for answers.

Not long after the movie came out, people started talking – lots of them. When filmmaker AR Murugadoss spoke up about Salman Khan showing up late on set, things heated up fast. Because of those delays, he said, getting scenes shot turned into a real struggle. That detail slipped into headlines, spreading through news sites and online chatter alike. Some backed the star instantly; others weren’t so quick to defend him.

Now speaking up is Jatin Sarna, known for playing a cab driver in Sikandar, backing Salman Khan. Famous due to roles in Sacred Games, he gave thoughts to The Lallantop. One person shouldn’t take blame, in his view, when movies flop. Instead of pointing fingers, he suggests looking at the whole picture. Blame rarely fits just one name, he believes. Films fail for many reasons, never only because of someone famous. He stands by that idea clearly. Not every setback needs a scapegoat. His words come slow but firm. Still, few expect such takes from supporting actors.

Working alongside the team, Sarna noticed how hard each person worked toward making the movie work. A good mood hung around the set, where people helped one another without needing reminders. Effort showed in small moments – he saw actors run lines quietly between takes, while crew adjusted lights for the tenth time without complaint.

“I seriously can’t pinpoint the failure on any one thing,” Sarna said in the interview. “I just know that everyone was working hard. I call Salman sir ‘Seth.’ Seth is very hardworking. He used to come on time and work very hard. The director’s vision was shaping up very well at that time. If you analyze it that way, it’s a very wonderful story.”

Off-screen moments brought surprise praise from Salman Khan, shaping how things unfolded. What stood out was his openness, lifting spirits without warning. A quiet nod turned into stronger parts later, almost by accident. That kind of attention shifted focus in ways not expected at first. His presence changed little details others might have missed. One scene led to another being rewritten simply because it caught an eye. Encouragement showed up when least assumed, altering what came next.

“When he felt that I was performing well in a scene, he asked that my dialogues and scenes should be increased,” Sarna revealed. “He supported me a lot. The film was made very well. I don’t know why the audience didn’t feel like that.”

Working on the film meant a lot to Sarna, especially getting to spend time with Salman Khan. What stood out was how much he valued being part of something alongside such a well-known performer. Moments like those tend to stick around long after filming ends.

“I seriously have no idea what went wrong,” he continued. “Because when I used to go to that set, I used to enjoy it a lot. To work with Salman sir, to see his admiration and love for people on the set, it was something special.”

Looking back at how people reacted, Sarna mentioned watching Sikandar on opening day – he really enjoyed it. Though part of the team, his view wasn’t clouded; instead, seeing the finished version deepened his connection to the plot. The way events unfolded on screen made him value the effort behind shaping the tale.

“I watched the film on the first day of release itself,” he said. “I really liked it because I knew the story, so I began thinking from that angle. And everyone else who went to watch it with me also liked it. A lot of people told me later also that they liked it a lot. Now I don’t know about its overall impact.”

Stillness hung in her voice when she spoke of Murugadoss’ comments. On set, under long hours, she had seen nothing – no tardiness from Salman Khan, not once. Her experience stood apart from the noise. Time passed without a single delay catching her eye. What others claimed did not match what she lived through. Moments like these often blur in retelling. Yet her memory remained clear. Not one instance surfaced where he showed up late. The reports felt distant from her truth.

“If I’m not wrong, Salman sir had said in an interview that he has a particular style of working,” Sarna recalled. “The director might have said, ‘Yes, I don’t have a problem.’ But as far as I know, Seth would arrive before my call time.”

Even when pain showed up on set, Salman Khan kept moving. Sarna pointed out that soreness or setbacks never pulled him off course. Though stunts left marks, he stayed present through every scene. The actor pushed forward, even as bruises piled up from tough shoots.

“He would be exercising and cycling even though his ribs were broken and he had a shoulder issue,” Sarna said. “The taxi in the scene was very small, so it was very tough for a man like him to get in and out. Still, he was doing all of that. He was singing, dancing, and doing everything required for the scene.”

The performer went on to mention how Salman Khan handled multiple big responsibilities at once, making his effort stand out. Not only was he shooting for Sikandar, but he also ran the latest season of Bigg Boss, a widely watched TV competition.

Filming duties on the movie sometimes started after Salman finished work on Bigg Boss, as noted by Sarna. Sometimes he’d wrap up there first, then show up here – timing shifted depending on the schedule. Not every day ran the same way, but that pattern appeared more than once. What mattered was fitting both around each other, somehow.

“He used to finish the shoot of Bigg Boss before doing his scenes,” Sarna said. “He was so tired, but he was still there. He wasn’t given any special leeway. He was working at least as much as he was expected to.”

Filmmaker AR Murugadoss hasn’t backed down, even after Sarna responded. Instead, in a chat with Valaipechu Voice, he repeated what he’d said before about the difficulties on Sikandar. Big stars mean changes – timing shifts, reshoots, plans redrawn – so things rarely stay fixed once filming begins.

“It’s not easy to shoot with a star,” Murugadoss said. “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.”

Filming hit snags when dates shifted, Murugadoss pointed out – yet he didn’t pin the movie’s outcome just on Salman Khan.

That weekend on Bigg Boss 18, Salman Khan spoke up about it himself. Not one to skip a beat, he brought it up during the usual Friday night chaos. With that familiar smirk, he brushed off claims of being late all the time. Turns out, many delays came after getting hurt on set – those stunts in Sikandar weren’t gentle. Pain doesn’t wait for schedules, so neither did he.

Early mornings were tough for Salman after filming those high-energy fight scenes. A cracked rib from the shoot slowed him down, making movement painful at dawn. Though pushed through each sequence, his body resisted quick starts when daylight arrived. Recovery didn’t follow a strict timeline – each sunrise brought its own challenge.

From there, he slipped in a sharp comment on Murugadoss’ last project, hinting that showing up on time doesn’t guarantee a film will rise or fall. While timing matters, it isn’t the full story behind what makes movies work – or not.

That year, Salman pointed out how Murugadoss’ Tamil movie Madhraasi didn’t do well either, though things behind the scenes seemed less rocky. Starring Sivakarthikeyan, it came out in 2025 but stumbled where it counted most – ticket sales. Domestically, earnings hovered near Rs 62.57 crore while costing roughly Rs 100 crore to make. Worse still, its performance dipped below what Sikandar managed.

One reason people still talk about Sikandar? It shows just how tangled movie outcomes really are. When shoots get delayed or dates clash, things go off track – yet fans might show up anyway if the plot grabs them. Some say what matters most isn’t the budget but whether viewers feel something when watching. Others point out timing: another big release nearby could pull attention fast. Marketing helps spread the word, sure – but not always enough. What worked last year may fall flat now; tastes shift without warning. Even strong promotions fail sometimes when stories miss the mark. A hit today might’ve bombed five years ago – it’s never just one thing.

Right now, the director sees it one way, while the lead actor plus others on set hold different views – this keeps people talking. Though TV and streaming might someday boost Sikandar’s image, nobody can say for sure yet. What’s clear is how much noise the film’s troubled making has stirred up. Star dominance, tough shoots, ticket sales – it’s all swirling together in Bollywood’s latest round of debates.