Despite high expectations surrounding Salman Khan’s Eid 2025 release ‘Sikandar’, the film fell short at the box office collecting just ₹110 crore domestically against a hefty ₹200 crore budget. The aftermath took a dramatic turn when director AR Murugadoss publicly aired grievances about working with Salman, particularly criticising the actor’s habit of arriving late to shoots. His comments ignited backlash from Salman’s devoted fanbase, who accused Murugadoss of being disingenuous and self-serving. Speaking to Valaipechu Voice, Murugadoss shared his frustrations: “It’s not easy to shoot with a star. Even day scenes, we have to shoot at night because he turns up on 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. I couldn’t execute ‘Sikandar’ well.” The statement struck a nerve online, where fans swiftly reminded the director of his earlier praise for Salman, calling their partnership “incredible”.
One user on X vented, “Before ‘Sikandar’ release: Working with Salman Khan is incredible. After disastrous work by AR Murugadoss: Couldn’t match timings, language issue, execution failure. If hypocrisy had a face then it should be bauna. AR Murugadoss fun fact: He failed with Rajinikanth too.” Another wrote, “A good director should accept failure instead of blaming others. I am highly disappointed with AR Murugadoss who is blaming Salman Khan for the movie failure. Was it Salman bhai who wrote the script, action sequences and VFX? It were the production team and you. It’s clearly your fault.” Some fans also highlighted Salman’s commitment to the project, noting that he continued filming ‘Sikandar’ despite battling a rib injury and facing serious security concerns.
