Will
Salman’s
latest
endeavour
finally
mark
a
pulpy
return
to
form?
Sadly,
no,
answers
Mayur
Sanap.
A
Salman
Khan
entertainer
is
a
totally
fun
way
to
spend
a
breezy
two
hours
or
so
in
theatre
packed
with
a
frenzied
crowd.
This
is
one
primary
reason
to
feel
excited
about
Sikandar,
which
sets
up
Salman
with
Tamil
hit
machine
director
A
R
Murugadoss,
known
to
the
Hindi
audience
for
directing
the
Aamir
Khan-starrer
Ghajini.
After
Akshay
Kumar
and
Ajay
Devgn
failed
to
lit
up
Eid
last
year
with
Bade
Miyan
Chote
Miyan
and
Maidaan
respectively,
Salman
returns
to
dominate
the
screens
this
year
with
Sikandar.
The
trailer
gives
an
impression
that
this
is
a
neatly
curated
larger-than-life
spectacle
with
no
dearth
of
seeti
maar
dialogue,
dhamakedaar
action
and
a
tadka
of
romance
and
emotion.
This
is
the
same
old
formula
for
masala
entertainment
that
masses
have
been
craving
for
in
a
Bhai
film.
Will
Salman’s
latest
endeavour
finally
mark
a
pulpy
return
to
form?
Sadly,
no.
Sikandar
looks
like
a
lazy
mish-mash
of
what
Salman
is
comfortable
doing
of
late,
rather
than
what
he
is
capable
of.
Think
of
Bajrangi
Bhaijaan,
Sultan
and
to
an
extent,
Bharat
married
his
larger-than-life
persona
with
a
well-meaning
package
of
entertainment.
Sikandar
is
reminiscent
of
his
botched-up
star
vehicles
like
Jai
Ho,
Race
3
and
Kisi
Ka
Bhai
Kisi
Ki
Jaan
where
Salman
seems
to
have
lost
his
touch.
The
trailer
puts
him
a
messiah
hero
avatar
who
is
on
a
mission
to
handle
the
injustice
prevalent
in
the
society.
This
mass
hero
template
looks
like
a
re-hash
of
Murugadoss’
now
familiar
style
and
story-world
with
a
heavy
dose
of
his
films
like
Sarkar,
Darbar
and
Thuppakki
(remade
in
Hindi
as
Holiday:
A
Soldier
Is
Never
Off
Duty
with
Akshay
Kumar).
We
also
get
a
glimpse
of
Baahubali‘s
Sathyaraj
playing
a
villain
with
the
same
tempo
as
Prakash
Raj
in
Wanted.
Rashmika
Mandanna
plays
a
romantic
interest
which
might
be
the
core
of
Salman’s
motivations
in
the
film…or
is
she
playing
a
figment
of
his
imagination?
The
trailer
has
enough
hints
to
suggest
that.
A
lot
is
being
discussed
about
their
glaring
age
difference
but
it
is
the
absolute
lack
of
chemistry
between
them
that
stunned
me.
We
will
still
be
seated
for
Sikandar,
to
relive
the
nostalgia
of
a
good
old
Salman
Khan
entertainer.
Deep
down,
we
know
the
star
and
Eid
deserve
better.
