Sikandar

There are good films, not-so-good films and then there are Salman Khan films. Unless one is an ardent fan of the actor, one has to tread with caution when one is watching a Salman Khan film. You know you must ignore logic, practicality and even technical finesse while watching Salman’s films. His latest Eid release, Sikandar, has Salman Khan once again in a larger-than-life role, flexing muscles at regular intervals and helping those in need at other times. But is the AR Murugadoss film worth a watch? Let’s find out. In a world of evil politicians and corrupt officials, Sikandar aka Sanjay Rajkot is a man of principles and a do-gooder. He may not follow the rules, has cases piled up against him, but he is revered as the King of Rajkot, and his people (praja) are ready to fight for him in order to protect him. A mid-air scuffle with Prateik Babbar- who plays the son of a Mumbai politician- leads to the cops and the politician himself go after him. In Rajkot, the authorities are not able to touch him. He has an army to protect him. However, one fateful night, his wife, Sai Shree (Rashmika Mandanna), gets killed. Mourning her death, Sikandar then goes to Mumbai to meet the recipients of his dead wife’s organs, but with goons, politicians and police after him- will he be able to meet the recipients and help them forms the rest of the story.

A privileged, entitled politician’s son (Prateik Smita Patil) has just shamed, blackmailed and attempted to molest a lady passenger when the famous blue bracelet appears out of the blue. It’s an energetic beginning with a touch of humour as Sanjay Rajkot (Salman Khan), also known as Sikandar and Raja Saab (yes, even in these times), thrashes the goon(s) while the air hostess announces turbulence. The man with the blue bracelet is charming too, when he asks the lady if she’s okay, in the midst of the fight scene. To refer to her past as closed and her little son as her future, gives a glimpse of contemporary chivalry. One wishes the same energy, the same today’s thought and the same sprinkling of wit had prevailed the rest of the way as outdated writer-director AR Murugadoss takes flights of fantasy to establish Sanjay/Sikandar/Raja Saab. A super wealthy “Rajkot Ka Raja” so large-hearted that the entire population will stand up to protect him, and no policeman dare touch him. One who sets out to arrest him for bashing up the minister’s son, has his jeep broken into pieces and he has to take the offer from smirking “Rani Sahiba” Saisri (Rashmika Mandanna) to use their private cars to return to the police station.

They’re red carpets laid out by formula-favouring filmmakers for ‘Bhai’ to strut around in slow motion and assert his stardom to indulgent fans again and again and again. But surely, even the most accommodating Bhai bhakts have a breaking point, especially when the red carpet resembles a tattered rug trod on by a hubris high superstar wearing sunglasses so shiny he cannot read the writing on the wall: STOP. There’s not any effort — not even a smidgen — to resurrect a superstar on the wane in Sikandar by A R Murugadoss. Instead, you get dialogues like ‘Insaaf nahi saaf karna hai.’ Four writer credits (Murugadoss, Rajat Aroraa, Hussain Dalal, Abbas Dalal) and this is what they came up with?

The challenge is real. In almost every frame and sequence of this Eid release, Salman Khan aka Sanjay, the Raja of Rajkot, aka Sikandar, struggles to be present. You can see him go through the motions of emotion and action, delivering dialogue, dancing, romancing, shedding tears –yes, he’s man enough to cry– but nowhere do you see traces of the one and only Bhai, who has never pretended to be anything other than who he has been in the last thirty years– the star with his very specific style-and-swag– the blue bracelet and the bulked-up arms-and-torso akimbo adorning his favourite avatars of the loveable rascal-cum-the desi Robin Hood with the golden heart.

Sanjay Rajkot, a king from a royal family, is sought after by a stubborn cop, Prakash, a right hand man of a crooked politician, Pradhan. After unexpectedly losing a loved one, he heads to Mumbai to meet three organ recipients, where he crosses paths with Pradhan and his pampered son Arjun again. When Arjun dies in a freak accident, Pradhan locks horns with Sanjay. Sanjay Rajkot, a king from a royal family, is sought after by a stubborn cop, Prakash, a right hand man of a crooked politician, Pradhan. After unexpectedly losing a loved one, he heads to Mumbai to meet three organ recipients, where he crosses paths with Pradhan and his pampered son Arjun again. When Arjun dies in a freak accident, Pradhan locks horns with Sanjay. Sanjay Rajkot, a king from a royal family, is sought after by a stubborn cop, Prakash, a right hand man of a crooked politician, Pradhan. After unexpectedly losing a loved one, he heads to Mumbai to meet three organ recipients, where he crosses paths with Pradhan and his pampered son Arjun again. When Arjun dies in a freak accident, Pradhan locks horns with Sanjay.