Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has recently been in the spotlight after his film Sikandar failed to impress at the box office. Adding to the buzz, director AR Murugadoss claimed that Salman would often arrive on set only in the evening, keeping the crew waiting for hours.
However, actor Ayaan Lall, who played Anjini Dhawan’s boyfriend in the film, has now offered a different perspective, dismissing the claims and sharing his on-set experience with the actor.
Ayaan Lall Says Salman Khan Never Arrived Late
In a conversation with Hindustan Times, Ayaan strongly denied reports that Salman made the cast and crew wait for hours. He revealed that Salman was punctual and that delays in shooting were largely due to technical requirements.
Ayaan explained, ‘He never used to come 8 hours late. I have worked on set for a good 12-13 days, and this never happened. And if 5-10 mins or 1-2 hours here and there, you need to understand. For example, the Punjab floods, it’s very sad what happened, Diljit sir also posted, but Salman sir has donated to help victims of the Punjab floods. So you have to understand that his only job is not to entertain the public or be a superstar.”
“He is the man of society and the superstar of country, the bhai. He has a lot of things to do other than just entertain people. So if he reaches 5-10 mins late or 1-2 hours late, it’s nothing. You have to understand his only job is not just to make films, he’s here for bigger things,” he added.
Same Food for Salman and the Entire Crew
Ayaan also shared that Salman ensures equality when it comes to food on set. The actor travels with a food truck so that everyone—right from the lead stars to the crew—eats the same food.
Sharing his experience, Ayaan said, ‘300 logon ka set hai (It’s a set of 300 people), and there’s a Being Stronger food truck which travels with Salman sir wherever he goes. Whether it’s 3 pm, 5 pm or 2 am in the morning, you are allowed to go and ask for food anytime and any day. If you are a part of the crew, your food is the same as Salman Khan’s food.”
He continued, “So if I used to feel hungry at 3 am in the morning, and AD looked at me and said, ‘Are you crazy?’ You can go and ask for food at Salman’s food truck. So if the production’s food has not reached yet, then you can get it from there. I went there and they told me they have mutton biryani, chicken item and an item for vegetarian people. This is the truth.’
What AR Murugadoss Claimed Earlier
Earlier, AR Murugadoss told Valaipechu Voice that production would begin early in the morning, but Salman would reportedly arrive late in the evening, with shooting continuing until 2 am. He also shared that many scenes were shot on green screen and later edited with VFX to appear as daytime sequences.
Sikandar Performance and Salman’s Next Project
Despite a star-studded cast including Rashmika Mandanna, Kajal Aggarwal, Sharman Joshi, Sathyaraj, Jatin Sarna, Sanjay Kapoor, Prateik Babbar, and Kishore, Sikandar collected only ₹184.6 crore against a reported budget of ₹200 crore.
Salman Khan is currently working on Battle of Galwan, directed by Apoorva Lakhia and co-starring Chitrangda Singh. The film is based on the 2020 Galwan Valley conflict between India and China, with its release date yet to be announced.