Vishal Vashishtha Recalls Salman Khan’s Struggle During Sikandar Shoot After Baba Siddique’s Demise: ‘He Was Mentally & Emotionally Drained’ | FPJ Exclusive

Salman Khan went through one of the most difficult phases of his life during the making of Sikandar. In October 2024, the superstar lost his close friend and veteran politician Baba Siddique, whose murder sent shockwaves across the industry. Around the same time, Salman was also dealing with heightened security concerns and a rib injury that reportedly affected his mobility during the film’s shoot. The actor later clarified that he had been battling a rib injury while filming, amid discussions surrounding delays on the sets of Sikandar. Director AR Murugadoss had also spoken about the challenges of shooting the film, including scheduling difficulties.

Now, in an excluisve interview with The Free Press Journal, Sikandar actor Vishal Vashishtha has come out in support of Salman Khan, recalling the difficult circumstances under which the superstar continued shooting and praising his commitment to work despite the emotioanl lows.

Speaking about Salman's condition during the shoot, Vishal said that the actor was dealing with immense emotional, mental and physical strain. “We were shooting Sikandar in very tough circumstances, especially for Salman sir. And that’s not a hidden fact. He was mentally and emotionally drained, and physically as well, he was going through a lot. We saw it ourselves; it wasn’t a made-up story, it was real. He would walk slowly and somehow finish the scene. The moment the director called cut, he would go back and get physiotherapy done. He needed to stay mobile because he had to perform all those action sequences. One thing I took away from him was that even after so many years in the industry, he was still there for his work. I can’t even imagine what was going on in the background of his life, but he continued shooting. What stayed with me was this: despite everything that was happening around him, after so many years, he was still doing it. He was in pain, yet he kept going. There were a life-threatening issue outside but he was still showing up. It was tough.”

Vishal’s remarks come amid director AR Murugadoss’ earlier claims that shooting Sikandar was challenging as Salman often arrived on set late in the evening, forcing the crew to alter schedules and even shoot daytime scenes at night. Reacting to the controversy, the actor clarified there were genuine reasons behind the delays, pointing to the actor’s physical condition and the circumstances he was dealing with off-screen. “We also waited - sometimes in the vanity van and sometimes on the set. But I was certain something was wrong. He wasn’t simply sitting in his van doing nothing. By the last day, he had improved a little physically. There was a reason the action sequences were scheduled later because he needed time to recover. Before that, during the household scenes, he was struggling. And by struggling, I mean even getting up from a chair and sitting down was very difficult for him.”

Vishal further said, “You have to give him the benefit of the doubt because it was clearly a struggle. And with everything that was happening in the background, it couldn’t have been easy. Just dealing with the amount of security personnel around you all the time is suffocating. It was a very difficult situation.”