In a heartwarming display of tradition, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan continued his Eid ritual, greeting thousands of fans gathered outside Galaxy Apartment in Mumbai.
On Monday evening, Salman, dressed in a white kurta-pyjama, appeared on his balcony alongside his niece and nephew, waving to his fans. Notably, his balcony has been covered with bulletproof glass due to heightened security concerns.
Salman Thanks Fans for Eid Wishes
Expressing gratitude, the actor took to Instagram and shared a heartfelt message:
“Shukriya Thank you aur sab ko Eid Mubarak,” he wrote.
‘Sikandar’ Opens to Mixed Response
This Eid, Salman’s fans received a cinematic treat with the release of his film ‘Sikandar’, directed by AR Murugadoss. However, the film has garnered mixed reviews and faced an underwhelming opening at the box office.
As per the makers, ‘Sikandar’ earned ₹54.72 crore globally on its opening day.
However, film trade analyst Taran Adarsh pointed out that the film’s opening figures were lower than expected compared to Salman’s past releases.
“Sikandar performs well on its opening day but falls short compared to #SalmanKhan’s previous opening days. Given post-pandemic trends, an opening of ₹40+ crore in India was expected. Despite releasing on a Sunday, Sikandar does not feature in #SalmanKhan’s Top 5 opening days list,” Adarsh wrote.
He also added that the film performed relatively better in mass circuits and was expected to see an uptick on Monday due to the Eid holiday.
Piracy Allegations Impacting Collections?
Industry analysts believe that piracy may have affected ‘Sikandar’s’ collections.
On Sunday morning, film trade analyst Komal Nahta revealed that the movie was leaked online before release, leading to widespread illegal downloads.
“I spoke to several trade insiders who confirmed the leak. Producer Sajid Nadiadwala’s team worked hard to remove the film from over 600 websites, but the damage was already done,” Nahta told media.
While Sajid Nadiadwala’s team has not officially confirmed the piracy claims, they stated that their anti-piracy agencies are actively monitoring the issue.
Star-Studded Cast
Apart from Salman Khan, ‘Sikandar’ features a strong ensemble cast, including Rashmika Mandanna, Sharman Joshi, Kajal Aggarwal, and Sathyaraj.
Despite a slow start, the film is expected to gain momentum over the festive period.