Writer-director Neeraj Pandey fails to do justice to a promising plot. Jimmy Sheirgill and Tamannaah Bhatia salvage some pride.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️ (2 / 5)
By Mayur Lookhar
Talent is fine, but success often hinges on being at the right place at the right time. By that logic, can one ward off failure by ensuring one doesn’t end up at the wrong place at the wrong time?
Unfortunately, for our protagonist Sikandar (Avinash Tiwary), it proved to be the latter. One dreaded day in 2009, he wasn’t meant to be at this place, but the computer technician’s extreme professionalism and a desire to please his clients saw him land at a diamond exhibition centre in Mumbai. Shortly, chaos ensues as four robbers are gunned down, but there is still a theft of four red solitaire diamonds worth Rs60 crore. IO Jaswinder Singh (Jimmy Sheirgill) is quick to arrive at the scene and takes stock. His mul vritti (instinct) tells him that there are three strong suspects – the first two accused being employees at the counter where the diamonds were stolen. The third one is Sikandar, whom Jaswinder clearly didn’t like from the first gaze.
Kamini (Tamannaah Bhatia), Mangesh (Rajeev Mehta), and Sikandar are all roughed up by the police, with Jaswinder adamant on getting a confession within 24 hours. Rather surprisingly, the story then moves forward fifteen years. In the present day, the suspects are all free citizens. What transpired between 2009 and 2015? The non-linear screenplay adopts a then-and-now narrative.
Sikandar Ka Muqaddar (2024) is a clever wordplay on Amitabh Bachchan’s blockbuster Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978). As a Commonwealth nation, we’ve largely shed the colonial hangover, but this Greek hangover still lingers in our conscience. We must remind ourselves that Sikandar (the Indian name for the Greek expansionist Alexander) fought our own Porus/Raja Puru in present-day Punjab. Impressed by the bravery of Puru and his army, Sikandar returned Puru’s kingdom. Was it this act that seeped into our conscience and triggered the Greek hangover? Well, this Sikandar, however, is nothing like the Greek expansionist. He’s a puppet in this dance of destiny, with Jaswinder holding the strings.
Looking at the trailer of Sikandar Ka Muqaddar (2024), we get some Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga (2023) vibes. Both are Netflix films, both have a diamond heist, but that’s where the comparisons end. Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga was well-acclaimed, but that plot wasn’t as novel as the makers claimed. Writer-director Neeraj Pandey’s Sikandar Ka Muqaddar, though, has a mint fresh tale. The early scenes hold promise for a gripping thriller, with twists and turns. Unfortunately, apart from those early scenes and the climax, the rest of the film turns into a painstaking melodrama, where the narrative is lost in the chaos of Sikandar’s personal life.
The Sikandar-Jaswinder reunion has an Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha (2024) hangover, with the leading men having a conversation over drinks on a rooftop, trying to unravel what really happened back then. Poor Jimmy Sheirgill is common to both Neeraj Pandey films, but in Sikandar Ka Muqaddar, his fortunes have taken a hit. Just like Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha, Sikandar Ka Muqaddar, too, proves to be an exhaustive experience. In Jaswinder’s parlance, this film is instinctively predictable, dull, and destined to disappoint.
Once a cocky cop with a 100% success record, Jaswinder now cuts a sorry figure. Today, he stands suspended, and as fate would have it, his wife Kaushalya (Divya Dutta) divorces him on the same day. Where else would he go but hit the bar? Jimmy Sheirgill has been an integral part of Neeraj Pandey’s cinema. With every collaboration, he continues to raise the bar. Sikandar Ka Muqaddar is no different.
Sheirgill stays true to form, but the one artiste that pleasantly surprised us is Tamannaah Bhatia. Extremely popular, but Bhatia has often faced criticism for her shallow acting. The success of the Telugu film Baahubali opened the door for a Bollywood revival. Bhatia was a revelation in Babli Bouncer (2022), but her subsequent Hindi works were disappointing. She has been cast in de-glam roles in the South, but not so much in Hindi cinema. Kamini is a simpleton, a single mother whose world is changed in one moment. Though a theft charge comes with its share of shame, if it weren’t for this episode, she would have never met a true friend in Sikandar. The muddled middle path of the screenplay leaves little scope for Bhatia, but the actor impresses with her nuanced performance.
Avinash Tiwary and Triptii Dimri shot to fame with Laila Majnu (2018), but the duo has had contrasting journeys since then. A lead role in a Neeraj Pandey thriller is a plum opportunity. Tiwary is likable to begin with, especially in the drama that unfolds in 2009 and a few years later. However, the Sikandar who returns from the UAE 15 years later strikes as a different man. Success plays its part, but the scars from 2009–2011 remain. The messy personal drama perhaps demotivates Tiwary as well. His performance here is a mixed bag.
That he is over with Khichdi was evident at the trailer launch, where Rajeev Mehta cheekily remarked that Praful and Khichdi are a thing of the past—he’s long digested it. Credit to Neeraj Pandey for casting Mehta as his Mangesh bhai. As accused No. 1, you expect Mangesh to return 15 years later and perhaps play a critical role to the mystery. However, Pandey gets so occupied with Sikandar’s personal mess that he forgets about Mangesh, and to a certain extent even Kamini. He makes a brief appearance midway, but after that, Mangesh goes missing. Mehta will cherish this opportunity, but deep down, he would have longed for a more impactful role in this film.
What’s admirable about Pandey’s film is how, through Mangesh and Kamini, he shows that loyalty is rarely rewarded for humble workers in the diamond trade. First-hand accounts suggest that even if a tiny milligram of diamond or precious stone goes missing, cruel managers don’t allow any staff to leave until it is retrieved. They are even strip-searched. In this film, the solitaires are lost during an exhibition. While there are no bosses, Jaswinder and his team ensure no one leaves until they are thoroughly checked. We hear Mangesh lament how, despite giving 32 years of his life, his employers fired him instantly.
Similarly, this film also reflects society’s attitude towards undertrials. Though the law clearly states one is innocent until proven guilty, life becomes very difficult for undertrials. The messaging is fine, but a thriller film needs to entertain accordingly. Sadly, a promising plot is lost in the exhaustive sob stories.
Pandey has enjoyed success in this genre, most notably with A Wednesday! (2008) and Special 26 (2013). Special Ops Season 1 (2020) was acclaimed, but the likes of Aiyaary (2018), The Freelancer (2023), and Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha disappointed. Story and screenplay flaws aside, Pandey’s thrillers tend to suffer from poor background music, which reduces the impact of good scenes, as evident in Sikandar Ka Muqaddar. Technical flaws aside, the Neeraj Pandey directorial leaves you frustrated as another intriguing plot is wasted.
While the fate of Sikandar Ka Muqaddar remains uncertain, Neeraj Pandey cannot rely solely on instincts to craft compelling thrillers.
Watch the video review below.
