Will Sikandar conquer?

Bollywood, languishing in the dumps and looking for a miracle, has a great deal at stake as the Salman Khan starrer arrives next week, writes Saibal Chatterjee

- Saibal Chatterjee

Much is riding on the upcoming Salman Khan starrer, “Sikandar,” touted to be one of the most expensive Indian films ever made.

But the focus isn’t only on the money that has gone into the ambitious production helmed by one of Tamil cinema’s most successful directors, A.R. Murugadoss. Will the effort expended on “Sikandar” pay dividends? The Bollywood superstar and the Mumbai industry will be hoping that it does. The film, scheduled to hit the screens on March 28, is the actor's customary Eid release. But are his fans waiting for it as eagerly as they once did for his films? It is clear as daylight today that the mass festive fervour that would accompany the arrival of a movie starring a Bollywood A-lister is no longer what it used to be. The reason, too, is obvious: the industry is in the midst of a crisis of confidence.

All the stakeholders-the stars, the producers, the exhibitors and, last but not least, the audiences who make or break a film-are looking for miracles even as their expectation of a Bollywood resurgence recedes. There is more trepidation than hope in the air. “Sikandar” marks a collaboration between Salman and Murugadoss, who helmed the super-successful 2008 Aamir Khan starrer “Ghajini.” The star is coming off a couple of cameos (in “Singham Again” and “Baby John”), a damp squib (“Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan”) and a hit ("Tiger 3”). What he now needs is a megahit of humongous proportions.