Salman & Rashmika in Sikandar: Ultra Cringe?

The newly launched teaser of Sikandar created a storm of trolling against Salman Khan. Trolls have descended upon his dialogues, criticizing them as lackadaisical and not serious enough.

Feeding the flames is the notable age difference between Salman and actress Rashmika Mandanna. With almost 60, Salman is practically twice as old as Rashmika, who is about 30. The 30-year age gap has resulted in mass criticism with people calling their on-screen chemistry cringeworthy, to say the least.

Interestingly enough, this trend is not limited to Bollywood. South Indian films also tend to have age gaps between top pairs. Ravi Teja, for example, who is in his late 50s, has been criticized for dating much younger women like Bhagyashri Borse and Sreeleela.

Yet, with films like Dhamaka, which cast Ravi Teja with Sreeleela, being successful despite the criticism, it is because of the way the director has managed to play up interesting and light-hearted moments between the leads.

Sikandar’s success can depend on AR Murugadoss’s direction. If he can write real and engaging scenes between Salman and Rashmika, people might forget about the age difference.

But going by the teaser, their on-screen presence is currently unnatural and boring. The problem is how to move past the initial reluctance and make a movie that enthrals the audience despite the perceived age gap.