Salman Khan and Rashmika Mandanna’s ‘Sikandar’ makes OTT debut

After a somewhat tepid run in theaters earlier this year, Sikandar, starring Salman Khan and Rashmika Mandanna, is gearing up for a fresh start as it debuted on Netflix today, May 25. This action-packed drama, directed by AR Murugadoss, had a grand release during Eid 2025 but struggled to meet the high expectations set by its star-studded cast at the box office.

The OTT premiere of ‘Sikandar’ could breathe new life into Salman Khan’s film

Netflix officially announced the film's digital launch with an Instagram post, “The Raja and his Zohra Jabeen.Now ruling on Netflix. Watch Sikandar, out now on Netflix.” The streaming giant reportedly shelled out a whopping INR 85 crore for the rights, providing some financial relief to the creators despite the film’s below-expectations performance in theaters.

In Sikandar, Salman portrays Sanjay, the esteemed ‘raja of Rajkot,’ who finds himself at odds with a corrupt political family after the tragic death of his wife (played by Rashmika). Fuelled by grief and a quest for justice, Sanjay takes it upon himself to safeguard the recipients of her organ donations, igniting a series of dramatic confrontations filled with intense action and emotion.

While the film received mixed reviews, it did manage to rake in over INR 200 crore globally, though it didn’t quite hit the mark compared to Salman’s usual box office hits. Critics noted issues with direction and some lacklustre performances, but Salman’s commanding presence during the action scenes was a definite highlight. The cast also includes Kajal Aggarwal, Sharman Joshi, Prateik Babbar, and Nawab Shah in key roles.

Whether Sikandar will find its footing on OTT or continue to fade away is still up in the air, but the streaming landscape has a history of giving struggling theatrical releases a second chance. And who knows, Salman’s dedicated fans might just rally around it, remote in hand.