Rashmika Mandanna says Sikandar script changed midway: ‘Later what happened was very different’

A clip from Rashmika Mandanna’s interview has resurfaced on social media, making many revisit the debate around her chemistry with Salman Khan in Sikandar.

Salman Khan and Rashmika Mandanna’s Sikandar failed to make a mark at the box office, drawing criticism for its weak plot and lack of chemistry between the lead pair. Now, Rashmika has reflected on her decision to sign the film, suggesting that the story narrated to her changed significantly over the course of filming. However, the internet is convinced that “nothing could have saved the disaster”.

Rashmika Mandanna and Salman Khan's Sikandar was released in theatres on March 30 last year.

Rashmika on doing Sikandar

During a conversation with Telugu journalist Prema, Rashmika reflected on her decision to take up Sikandar, hinting that the film eventually took a completely different turn from what was described to her during the narration.

“Sikandar, I remember talking to Murugadoss sir, ofcourse later what happened was very different… But when I heard the script, it was indeed quite a different script,” Rashmika said.

Explaining it further, the actor continued, “Generally that happens with films. When you listen to something it is one story that you have listened to… but over the making of the film, things change according to the performances, according to the edits, according to the time of the release. Things change and that is very common. So that happened with Sikandar.”

Internet reacts

A clip from Rashmika’s interview has resurfaced on social media, including Reddit, fueling chatter online. While some social media users revisited discussions around the lack of chemistry between Rashmika and Salman, others speculated how the dynamic might have changed had she been given a more substantial role.

One wrote, “Who cares as chemistry was 0”, with another sharing, “Nothing could have saved this disaster...Bhai's acting was lazy and he seemed so disinterested… And they were looking like a father daughter pair on top of that along with that horrible remake of Lagg jaa gale, this film was doomed from the beginning.”

Looks like Rashmika had a prominent screentime in Sikandar initially.. ☕ 👀
by u/monkeyishh in BollyBlindsNGossip

“They edited down the film quite a bit (20+ mins) after censor cuts, not just what the censor board asked for, but a lot more. They intended to do it to shorten the film but it made the film more incoherent and transitions abrupt. This completely messed up the story and narrative. Plus it didn’t help they had a poor supporting cast who wasn’t even given proper roles (or maybe those were edited down too). The main villain and his son were completely irrelevant to the story. And the insistence on releasing in Eid even though they were behind and Salman was going through health issues completely destroyed the movie. It had a decent basic concept but the execution was just bad,” one comment read.

Another shared, “The dance and songs seemed longer than her speaking parts. But, blessing in disguise as that was a bad film.”

“I do wonder how Rashmika’s role was different. I definitely felt that there was a potentially strong role buried for her in the movie. When I saw it,” one social media user wondered.

About Sikandar

With the film, Salman returned to the big screen for the first time since 2023 but failed to make a mark at the box office. Sikandar marked Murugadoss' return to Hindi cinema after nine years. The film narrated the story of Rajkot’s king, Sanjay Rajkot (Salman), also known as Sikandar. After the death of his wife, Saishri (Rashmika Mandanna), he embarks on a mission to protect three individuals in Mumbai who have received organ donations from his late wife, while also facing threats from a vengeful politician. Sikandar failed to click with the audience. Made on a reported budget of ₹200 crore, the film earned only ₹185 crore worldwide, as per Sacnilk.

In an episode of Bigg Boss 19, comedian Ravi Gupta asked Salman to name the movies that he regrets doing. Looking back at his career, Salman took the names of Suryavanshi (1992) and Nishchay (1992).

Salman said, “Nayi mein se koi nahi hai… log kehte hain Sikandar par main nahi manta, uska plot bahut acha tha (I don’t regret doing any film in the recent times. People do say it can be Sikandar, but I don’t believe that. The plot of the film was good).” The film also featured Sathyaraj, Kajal Aggarwal, Prateik Babbar and Sharman Joshi.