'Not easy to work with Salman...': AR Murugadoss
AR Murugadoss, who directed the 2025 film Sikandar, recently shared how tough it was to work with Salman Khan.
He explained, "It's not easy to shoot with a star. Even day scenes, we have to shoot at night because he turns up on set only by 8pm. We are used to shooting right from early mornings, but that's not how things work there."
'Sikandar' didn't do well commercially
Sikandar hit theaters in March 2025 and followed Salman's character as he tried to fulfill what he couldn't do for her after her organs were donated to three people.
Despite the emotional story, the film didn't do well—earning ₹184.6 crore on a ₹200 crore budget.
Murugadoss said night shoots for daytime scenes (thanks to Salman's late arrivals) left child actors exhausted and threw off the whole production schedule.
Murugadoss on why 'Sikandar' struggled
Murugadoss took responsibility for Sikandar's underperformance, saying he struggled to bring out its emotional depth and found it challenging working outside his comfort zone in Hindi films:
The narrative focused on valuing relationships after loss, but he struggled to translate it effectively onscreen.
On why Hindi films are tough for him
Before Sikandar, Murugadoss hadn't made a Hindi movie since Akira in 2016—which also flopped.
He pointed out that Ghajini (2008) worked because it was a remake of his own Tamil hit and he had more creative control there than on Sikandar.