The making of ‘Sikandar’ coincided with the most challenging times Salman KhanPersonal and professional life. In October 2024, the superstar was devastated by the assassination of his close friend and veteran politician Baba Siddique. At the same time, he was also dealing with increased security concerns and a painful rib injury that reportedly affected his movement during the film’s shoot.While Salman had earlier admitted to battling a rib injury while filming, talk of delays on the sets of ‘Sikander’ also made headlines. Director AR Murugadoss talks about the scheduling challenges facing the production. Now, the actor Vishal Vashishtawho shared screen space with Salman in the film, offered his perspective on what was happening behind the scenes.Vishal defended the superstar and praised his determination to continue working despite physical and mental hardships.Reflecting on those days, Vishal said that Salman was navigating an incredibly difficult phase. He said in an interview with Free Press Journal, “We were shooting Sikandar under very difficult conditions, especially for Salman sir. And that’s not a hidden truth. He was mentally and emotionally exhausted and physically he was going through a lot. We saw it ourselves; it wasn’t a made-up story, it would walk slowly and finish the scene. The moment the director called Kate, she would go back and undergo physiotherapy. He had to be mobile because he had to do all those action sequences. One thing I took away from him is that even after all these years in the industry he is still there for his work. I can’t even imagine what was going on in the background of his life, but he continued to shoot. What stayed with me was this: Despite what was happening around him, he was still doing it all these years later. He was in pain, yet he continued. There was a life-threatening problem outside but he still showed up. It was difficult.”Vishal’s comments came months after the release of AR Murugadoss that the filming of the project was often complicated as Salman would arrive on the set later than expected, forcing the team to make adjustments and sometimes shooting daytime scenes at night.Addressing these claims, Vishal said the delays were not without 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 sets. But I was sure something was wrong. He was just sitting in his van doing nothing. By the last day, he had improved physically. One reason the action sequences were scheduled later was because he needed time to recover. Earlier, he used to fight during domestic scenes. And struggling, meaning getting up and sitting down from a chair was very difficult for him.“The actor also urged the public to look at the situation with compassion, noting that Salman was behaving much more than what was visible to the public.“You have to give him the benefit of the doubt because it was obviously a struggle. And with what was happening in the background, it couldn’t have been easy. Dealing with the amount of security personnel around you at all times is suffocating. It was a very difficult situation.”Vishal’s account gives a glimpse into the difficult conditions in which ‘Sikander’ was shot, highlighting the challenges Salman faced in fulfilling his professional commitments despite personal loss, physical pain and constant security concerns.
