Sikandar Ka Muqaddar

Sikandar Ka Muqaddar is a film that has the potential to be a standout thriller but falls short. While it delivers moments of intrigue and features solid performances, its inconsistent pacing and underwhelming character development prevent it from achieving greatness. Fans of Neeraj Pandey's previous work may find it enjoyable as a one-time watch but it doesn't reach the heights of his previous work. For viewers seeking a nuanced, edge-of-your-seat thriller, this film might feel underwhelming. However, if approached with minimal expectations, Sikandar Ka Muqaddar offers enough suspense and moral ambiguity to justify an OTT viewing for this weekend before the audience braces itself for Pushpa 2: The Rule next week.

Thankfully, Pandey is back to what he does best, with Sikandar Ka Muqaddar.

Firstly, the film’s runtime seems to be its biggest hurdle that stops it from becoming the perfect heist drama. Spanning for almost two and a half hours, it could have been significantly shorter. In fact, this was a feature film and not a web series, which is why the melodrama fitted here and there, the constant flashbacks of something we saw just minutes ago, and the stretched climax do not quite work in the film's favour.  As the film approaches its end, you see what's coming, something that mars the build-up for a thriller. Of course, you get the whiff of what might ultimately happen in the end, but then, stretching it sort of kills the thrill. The screenplay is what could have been majorly worked on. With Neeraj Pandey being the screenplay writer as well as the director, he had more control. Yet, the loopholes are glaring that hamper the cinematic experience. The editing could also have been worked on, to make the heist drama more engaging and thrilling. The sepia tone also looks a bit too much, given we aren't even going back to the 90s here.Â