Sikandar Co-Star Backs Salman Khan Amid AR Murugadoss's Attack: 'Bhai Worked Out With Broken Ribs'

Nearly a year after the release of AR Murugadoss' action thriller Sikandar, conversations about the film's box-office failure continue.  

Murugadoss earlier blamed the disappointing performance on the actor's lack of punctuality and commitment on set.

Now, actor Jatin Sarna, who played a taxi driver in the film, has come out in support of Salman Khan.

Jatin Sarna Defends Salman Khan

Speaking to The Lallantop, Jatin defended Salman against Murugadoss' claims about punctuality and recalled the physical effort the actor put into the film despite health issues.

"If I'm not wrong, Salman sir said in an interview that he has a particular style of working. So, the director might have said, 'Yes, I don't have a problem.' Cut to: as far as I know, Seth would arrive before my call time," Jatin said.

He also revealed that Salman continued working through injuries while filming action sequences.

"He would be exercising and cycling even though his ribs were broken and he had a shoulder issue. The taxi in the scene was very small, so it was very tough for a man to go in and out. He was doing all of that. He was there singing, dancing, and doing everything," he added.

According to Jatin, Salman often filmed for Sikandar after completing his hosting duties for Bigg Boss 18 every week. "He used to finish the shoot of Bigg Boss before doing his scenes. He was so tired, but he was there. He wasn't given any leeway. So, I never found him coming late. He was working at least as much as he was expected to," he said.

Jatin Sarna Praises Salman Khan's Work Ethic 

Jatin said he could not attribute the film's failure to any single factor and insisted that the team had worked sincerely during the shoot.

"I seriously can't pinpoint the failure on any one thing. I just know that everyone was working hard. I call Salman sir Seth. So, Seth is very hardworking. He used to come on time and work very hard. The director's vision was shaping up very well at that time. If you analyze it that way, it's a very wonderful story," he said.

Jatin also mentioned that many people he spoke to after the release said they liked the film. "I watched the film on the first day of release itself. I really liked it because I knew the story, so I began thinking from that angle. And everyone else, who went to watch it with me, also liked it. A lot of people told me later also that they liked it a lot. Now, I don't know about its overall impact," he said.

What Did AR Murugadoss Say Earlier?

Reflecting on the film's performance in an interview with Valaipechu Voice last year, Murugadoss said working with a star often changes the usual shooting schedule.

"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 8 pm. We are used to shooting right from early mornings, but that's not how things work there," he had said.

Salman later responded to the allegations while hosting an episode of Bigg Boss 18 Weekend Ka Vaar, explaining that he had been recovering from broken ribs sustained during the film's action sequences. 

The Salman Khan-starrer, reportedly made on a budget of Rs 200 crore, managed to earn only Rs 184.89 crore worldwide, as per Sacnilk.

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