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Nawazuddin Siddiqui reacts to box office failure of Salman Khan's Sikandar: ‘Sirf Bhai pe hi ungli nahi uthani chahiye'

Nawazuddin Siddiqui reacts to box office failure of Salman Khan's Sikandar: ‘Sirf Bhai pe hi ungli nahi uthani chahiye'

Hindustan Times03-05-2025
Bollywood actor Salman Khan's recent films like Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan and Sikandar have underperformed at the box office. Salman's Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Kick co-star, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, reacted to the failure of his films in an interview with Lallantop Cinema and blamed the directors and writers for it. (Also Read: Mika Singh says Salman Khan treats him like his 'bada bhai' after 2 drinks: 'Woh bohot open ho jaate hain...')
When asked about Salman's fans being disappointed with Sikandar and urging him to choose better scripts, Nawaz defended the actor and said, "Thik hai ek film unki nahi chali, varna unki aisi films hain, isliye toh woh superstar hai (It's fine if one of his films didn't work. Otherwise he has such good films that is why he is a superstar). He has done many films that didn't have any extraordinary essence, but just because they featured Salman, they became big hits. I haven't watched Sikandar, so I don't know what the film was about. But a superstar's quality is that he makes a normal film so big, whether it has the essence or not."
He added, "If Bhai agrees to do a film, then it becomes a big responsibility for the directors because he is serving you his fan base on a platter. They have a huge responsibility. Sirf Bhai pe hi ungli nahi uthani chahiye (one should not point fingers only at Salman). The makers also need to work. If you have got Salman Khan, then it becomes their job to put in the essence and all the other elements into the film. He is that personality, a superstar who makes a simple film so big with his presence. He is giving you everything—fan following, madness and celebration—people come to watch him in theatres. But if the directors and makers don't work on the script, then we can't put all the blame on the superstar."
Nawazuddin has featured in films like Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Kick, both of which turned out to be blockbusters. The actor revealed that Salman is a very passionate actor and expressed that it's always fun working with him. He added that during Bajrangi Bhaijaan, there were several occasions when Salman even gave him some of his own dialogues.
According to Sacnilk, Sikandar, which also featured Rashmika Mandanna, Kajal Aggarwal, and Sathyaraj in key roles, opened to mixed reviews from audiences and earned only ₹26 crore on its opening day. The film eventually earned ₹184.6 crore worldwide at the box office, according to the trade tracking site. However, according to the makers, the film made over ₹200 crore worldwide. Despite the numbers, the film underperformed at the box office by Salman Khan standards.
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