The making of ‘Sikandar’ coincided with one of the most challenging times of: Salman Khan:personal and professional life. In October 2024, the superstar was devastated by the murder of his close friend and veteran politician Baba Siddique. At the same time, he also faced growing security concerns and a painful rib injury that reportedly affected his mobility during the film’s shooting.While Salman had earlier admitted to battling a rib injury during filming, talks about delays on the sets of ‘Sikandar’ have also made headlines. Director AR Murugadoss talks about the scheduling challenges the production faced. Now, actor Vishal Vashishthawho shared screen space with Salman in the film, offered his perspective on what was going on behind the scenes.Vishal defended the superstar and praised his determination to continue working despite the physical and emotional toll he took.Reflecting on the days, Vishal says that Salman is navigating through a very difficult phase. He said in an interview with the Free Press Journal, “We shot Sikandar in very difficult conditions, especially for Salman sir. And that is not a hidden truth. He is mentally and emotionally drained, and physically too, he is going through a lot. We have seen it ourselves; this is not a made-up story, it is true. He walks slowly and in a way to finish the scene. Once the director called cut, he would go back and do physiotherapy. He needs to stay mobile because he needs to do all the following actions. One thing I took away from him is that even after many years in the industry, he is still there for his work. I can’t imagine what was going on in the background of his life, but he kept shooting. What sticks with me is this. despite everything going on around him, after so many years, he still does it. He was hurt, but he continued. There was a life-threatening issue outside but he still showed up. It was tough.”Vishal’s comments come months after AR Murugadoss revealed that filming the project often became complicated as Salman arrived on set later than expected, forcing the team to make changes and sometimes shoot scenes during the day at night.Responding to the claims, Vishal said that the delays were not for no reason and were linked to the actor’s health and the circumstances surrounding him.“We also waited – sometimes in the vanity van and sometimes on the set. But I’m sure there was something wrong. He didn’t just sit in his van doing nothing. On the last day, he improved a little physically. There’s a reason the action sequences were scheduled later because he needed time to recover. Before, in the domestic scenes, he struggled. And by struggling, I mean that even getting up from a chair and sitting down was very difficult for him.“The actor further urged people to look at the situation with empathy, saying that Salman is dealing with more than what the public can see.“You have to give him the benefit of the doubt because it’s obviously a struggle. And with everything that’s going on behind the scenes, it’s not going to be easy. Just dealing with the number of security personnel around you all the time can be overwhelming. It was a very difficult situation.”
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Vishal’s account offers a glimpse into the difficult conditions in which ‘Sikandar’ was shot, highlighting the challenges faced by Salman while continuing to fulfill his professional commitments despite personal loss, physical pain and constant security concerns.
