Amidst the fallout from "Sikandar's" disappointing box office performance, director AR Murugadoss has been candid about the challenges he faced during its production and has revealed that he recently pitched a film idea to Shah Rukh Khan.

"Sikandar," starring Salman Khan and Rashmika Mandanna, was released on March 30, 2025, and failed to meet expectations, earning ₹184.6 crore worldwide against a reported budget of ₹200 crore. The film featured Salman Khan as Sanjay "Sikandar" Rajkot, a man seeking to protect individuals impacted by his late wife's actions, putting him in conflict with a vengeful politician. The cast also included Kajal Aggarwal, Sathyaraj, Sharman Joshi, and Prateik Babbar.

Murugadoss has taken responsibility for the film's failure, admitting that he "couldn't execute it well". He explained that the story's emotional core, about a king who only understands his wife's value after her death and tries to fulfill her wishes by helping those who received her donated organs, didn't translate effectively onto the screen.

In an interview with Valaipechu Voice, Murugadoss discussed the difficulties of working with Salman Khan, whose distinct working style posed logistical challenges. He noted that Salman Khan would arrive on set around 8 PM, which meant that even day scenes had to be shot at night. This unusual schedule affected the entire crew, especially child actors who often had to film late into the night. Salman Khan, however, has addressed these allegations, stating that he is disciplined once he is on set.

Murugadoss also attributed the film's failure to his struggles with the Hindi language. He explained that filmmaking in an unfamiliar language feels like being "handicapped" because the nuances and trends are difficult to grasp, impacting his ability to connect with the audience. He contrasted this with his experience directing "Ghajini," which he could "pull off" because it was a remake where he had complete command over the script.

Despite the setback with "Sikandar," Murugadoss remains determined to return to Hindi cinema when he finds the right project. He also shared that he had offered a film to Shah Rukh Khan. According to Murugadoss, he pitched a character arc to Shah Rukh Khan around 2016-2017, when the actor's film "Dilwale" had been released. Shah Rukh Khan liked the idea, but due to his busy schedule, the project didn't materialize. Murugadoss plans to reveal more details about the idea after the release of his upcoming Tamil film "Madharasi".