SIKANDAR KA MUQADDAR has fine performances but it suffers due to a weak second half and unexciting climax Movie Review: SIKANDAR KA MUQADDAR has fine performances but a weak second half.

Star Cast: Avinash Tiwary, Tamannaah Bhatia, Jimmy Sheirgill

Director: Neeraj Pandey

Sikandar Ka Muqaddar Movie Review Synopsis: SIKANDAR KA MUQADDAR is the story of a cop and three suspects. On February 15, 2009, the 10th DFFI Exhibition is held at the NICSO Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. Kamini Singh (Tamannaah Bhatia) and Mangesh Desai (Rajeev Mehta) are stationed at the stall of Divine Diamonds & Jewellery, where they work. Sikandar Sharma (Avinash Tiwary), a computer technician, is at the exhibition to check the audio-visual slides. Suddenly, Santosh Kamble (Praful Joshi), a cop on duty at the exhibition, gets an anonymous tip that a robbery is going to take place by four armed assailants. Acting on the tip, the cops locate the robbers and assassinate them. All the attendees of the exhibition, meanwhile, are asked to be at the refuge area. Once the bodies of the robbers are taken away, Kamini and Mangesh return to their stall only to find that red solitaires worth Rs. 50-60 crores have gone missing. The CCTV cameras were shut by the robbers and hence, the cops don’t have the option to check who took away the solitaires. Jaswinder Singh (Jimmy Sheirgill), an expert cop who has solved all cases assigned to them, is asked to investigate. He’s known for his sharp ‘mool-vriti’ (instincts). Based on his instincts, he concludes that the solitaires are flicked by either Sikandar, Kamini or Mangesh. All of them are strip-searched but he fails to find the valuables from them. Nevertheless, he arrests them and even asks the court for a seven-day remand. Meanwhile, the film also has a track set in 2024 where Jaswinder is no longer the decorated officer that he once was. He’s still keeping tabs on Sikandar, who’s now settled in Abu Dhabi, UAE. When Sikandar returns to India, they decide to meet to settle past scores. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Sikandar Ka Muqaddar Movie Story Review: Neeraj Pandey's story is promising. Neeraj Pandey and Vipul K Rawal's screenplay, however, is unconvincing and also has loose ends. A few sequences are very well written though. Neeraj Pandey and Vipul K Rawal's dialogues are conversational and yet, pack a punch.

Neeraj Pandey's direction is uncomplicated despite the back-and-forth narrative. To give credit where it's due, he does engage viewers with his trademark execution. The story is unusual; one hasn't seen anything like this before and this keeps viewers gripped. The film starts with a bang and it's also the best part of the film. A few scenes that stand out are Sikandar and Jaswinder meeting at the rooftop bar after ages, the romance brewing between Sikandar and Kamini, the courtroom scenes, etc.

On the flipside, the second half is what pulls down the film. One expects fireworks or at least that Neeraj will sum up the film neatly. He falters on both these fronts. The suspense is a bit unexpected but not entirely unpredictable. It also raises many questions, especially the intent of the thief. The dark secret of one of the characters is difficult to digest, especially the circumstance that leads to this development. It is also bewildering that one of the characters is forgotten after a point and one wonders why that person was even there in the film in the first place. Lastly, the final scene fails to entice.

Sikandar Ka Muqaddar | Official Trailer | Tamannaah Bhatia, Jimmy Shergill, Avinash Tiwary

Sikandar Ka Muqaddar Movie Review Performances: Avinash Tiwary, as expected, rises above the script and completely seems apt as a battered common man. He’s also effortless in some difficult scenes. Tamannaah Bhatia, as always, has a stunning screen presence and is first-rate as a performer. Jimmy Sheirgill is the best part of the film and tries to elevate the impact of several scenes. Rajeev Mehta is decent but is hardly there. Divya Dutta (Kaushalya Singh) is lovely in a cameo. Ridhima Pandit (Priya Sawant) and Zoya Afroz (Tabassum) do well in small roles. Santanu Ghatak (Anoop; who gives the tip) is entertaining. Praful Joshi, Khurshed Lawyer (Parker; advocate), Rashmi Shukla (Female judge), Ashrut Jain (Manish; Sikandar's friend) and Aparna Upadhyay (Sikandar's mother) leave a huge mark. Shivraj Walvekar (Shrikant Wagh; ACP in 2024), Bharat Jha (Tiwari; landlord), Arpit Mishra (Mama ji), Anil Pandey (Male judge) and K S Krishnan (Anna) are decent.

Sikandar Ka Muqaddar movie music and other technical aspects: There’s only one song 'Thehre Rahen', which is okay but it is picturized beautifully. Sanjoy Chowdhury's background score carries the trademark Neeraj Pandey stamp.

Arvind Singh's cinematography is splendid and the panning shots especially add to the intrigue value. Mayur Sharma's production design is fair but too bright in some scenes. Falguni Thakore's costumes are realistic. Amar Shetty's action is minimal. Praveen Kathikuloth's editing could have been slicker.

Sikandar Ka Muqaddar Movie Review Conclusion: On the whole, SIKANDAR KA MUQADDAR has some fine performances by the lead cast but it suffers due to a weak second half, unexciting climax and loose ends in the script.

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