Salman Khan‘s ‘Sikandar’ was made on a massive budget of Rs 200 crore as per reports but managed to collect only about Rs 176 crore worldwide. The film’s failure continues to be spoken about. It was directed by AR Murugadoss and months after the release, the director had attributed the film’s underperformance to Salman’s alleged lack of punctuality and commitment during the shoot. However, later, Salman had denied these claims in his own witty, sarcastic way. Now, actor Jatin Sarna, who appeared in the film as a taxi driver, has spoken up in Salman’s defence. Sharing his perspective in an interview with The Lallantop, Sarna said, “I seriously can’t pinpoint the failure on any one thing. I just know that everyone was working hard. I call Salman sir Seth. So, Seth is very hardworking. He used to come on time and work very hard. The director’s vision was shaping up very well at that time. If you analyze it that way, it’s a very wonderful story.”

The actor also spoke about the support he received from Salman on set. “I seriously have no idea what went wrong. Because when I used to go to that set, I used to enjoy it a lot… to work with Salman sir, to see his admiration and love. When he felt I’m performing well in a scene, he asked that my dialogues and scenes should be increased. He supported me a lot. The film was made very well. I don’t know why the audience didn’t feel like that,” he said.

Sarna, who is also known for his work in the series ‘Sacred Games’, added that many people he spoke to had positive things to say about the film. “I watched the film on the first day of release itself. I really liked it because I knew the story, so I began thinking from that angle. And everyone else, who went to watch it with me, also liked it. A lot of people told me later also that they liked it a lot. Now, I don’t know about its overall impact,” he said.Addressing Murugadoss’ earlier remarks, Sarna maintained that he personally never witnessed Salman being late on set. “If I’m not wrong, Salman sir said in an interview that he has a particular style of working. So, the director might have said, ‘Yes, I don’t have a problem.’ Cut to: as far as I know, Seth would arrive before my call time,” he recalled.He further described the effort Salman was putting into the film despite health issues. “He would be exercising and cycling even though his ribs were broken and he had a shoulder issue. The taxi in the scene was very small, so it was very tough for a man to go in and out. He was doing all of that. He was there singing, dancing, and doing everything,” Sarna said.According to him, Salman was also juggling other major commitments while shooting for the film. “He used to finish the shoot of Bigg Boss before doing his scenes. He was so tired, but he was there. He wasn’t given any leeway. So, I never found him coming late. He was working at least as much as he was expected to,” he added, referring to the actor hosting Bigg Boss 18 and its popular segment Weekend Ka Vaar.However, Murugadoss has continued to stand by his earlier statement about the film’s struggles. Reflecting on the experience in an interview with Valaipechu Voice, he said, “It’s not easy to shoot with a star. Even day scenes, we have to shoot at night because he turns up on set only by 8 pm. We are used to shooting right from early mornings, but that’s not how things work there.”Salman later addressed the issue while hosting an episode of ‘Bigg Boss 18’ Weekend Ka Vaar. He explained that his delayed arrivals on set were due to a broken rib he sustained while filming action sequences for Sikandar. He also pointed out that if punctuality alone determined a film’s success, Murugadoss’ 2025 Tamil action film Madhraasi, starring Sivakarthikeyan, should not have failed. The film reportedly collected only Rs 62.57 crore domestically against a budget of Rs 100 crore, performing even worse than Sikandar.

Revised Cost Estimate Under Sanction: Govt

NEW DELHI: Now it’s official that railways will run B28, the bullet train being manufactured in India, on the first stretch of Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project that is scheduled to be operational in Aug 2027. The railway ministry informed a parliamentary panel that the national transporter has decided to start the operation on the Surat to Vapi (97 km) section of the corridor using the trainset being manufactured by BEML.The report of parliamentary standing committee on railways, which was tabled in both Houses of Parliament on Tuesday, mentioned that when it inquired about the updated completion timeline of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project the ministry said, “Bullet train project is a very complex and technology intensive project. The project involves technology transfer and procurement/ supply from Japan and other countries. The development of the E10 series of Shinkansen is under way in Japan; therefore, detailed information regarding the same is not available. However, a decision has been taken to start the operation using B28 (Bharat made bullet trainset).”The ministry also informed the panel that tenders for alternative signalling systems (based on ETCS L2) have been awarded and work has commenced. It added that manufacturing of B28 is currently underway at BEML. The ministry said anticipated timelines for the commencement of the project can be ascertained after the completion of all associated works of civil structures, track, electrical, signalling and telecommunication and supply of trainsets.“However, efforts are underway to start ops using B28 (Bharat made bullet, 280 kmph) for Surat-Vapi (97km) in Aug 2027,” the report said.Regarding the anticipated cost escalation, major contributing factors and the specific measures being undertaken to prevent cost overruns, the ministry informed the panel that the original estimated cost of the project was Rs 97,636 crore in Dec 2015 and this was based on the feasibility report. Construction was initially planned partly on viaduct and mostly on embankment.The ministry told the committee that there has been cost escalation due to factors that were not considered in the feasibility report – taxes and cess (Rs 29,330 crore), utility shifting (Rs 2,625 crore), station approach development (Rs 2,195 crore), power sourcing arrangement (Rs 1,250 crore), indigenous trains and ETCS signalling system (Rs 16,500 crore), ticketing (Rs 283 crore) and statutory charges owing to forest clearances (Rs 400 crore).“In addition the escalation due to the rise in economic factors of production (inflation and price rise) is Rs 19,084 crore as the project was sanctioned in the year 2015. The substantial increase in land rates particularly in urban areas including cost of land at Mumbai, has led to the increase in the land, resettlement and rehabilitation cost to Rs 16,695 crore. The revised cost estimate for the project of Mumbai Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Line is under sanction,” the ministry said.

Former World Cup-winning Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has slammed former Indian spinner Kirti Azad for politicizing cricket after the latter’s hurtful comments on Suryakumar Yadav and Jay Shah, accusing them of religious bias.

After India won the T20 World Cup on home soil, not one Indian fan is anything but delighted. However, controversies continue to find their way into every situation, and this time as well, a former cricketer and current politician has complicated the situation, pointing at a religious bias after Suryakumar Yadav, alongside coach Gautam Gambhir and Jay Shah, carried the trophy to a nearby Hanuman Temple to seek blessings.

These comments came from TMC MP Kirti Azad, whose party has been ruling over Bengal for over a decade and has been at loggerheads with the BJP government. The two parties have often had conflicts over using religious beliefs as propaganda.

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What did the 1983 World Cup winner say that irked Indian fans?

Kirti Azad was part of the Indian squad when they won the first-ever ICC trophy back in 1983. The former World Cup winner raised questions on Captain Suryakumar Yadav and Jay Shah for having taken the trophy to a ‘Hindu’ temple and not to the respective religious places of the other religions, like a Mosque or a Church.

He made some sharp accusations, claiming that the win was for the 1.4 billion Indians, which includes people of every religion, not just Hindus, and also highlighted that several players from other beliefs, like Mohammad Siraj and Sanju Samson, the player of the tournament, contributed heavily to India’s success.

He also recalled the 1983 World Cup when India had Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian players in the team and brought the trophy back to India, which he called out as their, “…motherland India Bharat Hindustan.”

Harbhajan Singh gets back at Kirti Azad for unnecessarily politicizing cricket

While opinions on this issue would also split the Indian fans into two parties, yet it seems to be the unnecessary escalation of a trivial matter. Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh, who is also a former World Cup winner for India, also commented on the same.

Getting back to the senior spinner, Harbhajan said that it is absurd that, despite being a former cricketer himself, he is politicizing the simple act of the players taking a trophy into a temple.

Here’s the video

#WATCH | Delhi | On BCCI announcing Rs 131 Crore prize money for Team India for winning the ICC T20 World Cup, Former Indian Cricketer and Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh, says, “I was expecting more, because when such a big task is undertaken, the reward should be even greater.… pic.twitter.com/xOxejmhZEG

— ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2026

Bhajji said, “It’s absurd that someone is politicizing the players taking the trophy to a temple… Kirti himself is a former cricketer, so I didn’t expect him to say such a thing… Perhaps he’s prioritizing politics more and has forgotten he’s a sportsman.”

Harbhajan Singh takes a dig at the BCCI after the prize money announcement for Team India

Harbhajan Singh looked delighted at India winning the ICC tournament and wanted a bit more from the management to praise the cricketers, who, according to him, deserved a lot more.

The BCCI had announced an INR 131 crore prize money to the Indian Cricket Team after they won the ICC trophy for the second time in a row. However, Harbhajan felt that the prize could have been increased a bit more after all the hard work the team did over the past year.

Former Indian Cricketer and Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh said, “I was expecting more, because when such a big task is undertaken, the reward should be even greater. But congratulations to the team for their dominance in the World Cup, and for showing everyone how powerful India is.”

ALSO READ: Gautam Gambhir praised as ex-England star blasts Babar Azam and Pakistan’s ‘personal milestones’ obsession

Premature To Say Anything For Sure: Experts

NEW DELHI: Latest update from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) on the possibility of El Nino episode later this year may be bad news for India’s monsoon. Though, experts said, it would be premature to say anything definitely at this juncture, an El Nino year usually negatively impacts rains during the monsoon.The update also said that there is a widespread global signal for above-average land surface temperatures during March-May period due to various climatic factors. This is already being felt in India which has been facing heat wave to severe heat wave conditions in many parts of the country.The IMD, meanwhile, Tuesday predicted that day temperatures are likely to remain above normal by 5-7 degree celsius over Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh; by 4-6 degree C over plains of northwest India, including Delhi-NCR; Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh during the next three days.It forecast above normal day temperatures by 2-3 degree C over southeast Peninsular India during the next five days.“El Nino is expected to develop by the second half of the season. As the current predictions suggest it could be a moderate El Nino. However predictions at this time have large uncertainties. Better idea about El Nino will be known by June. So at present we need not panic but closely monitor the situation,” Madhavan Rajeevan, former secretary, ministry of earth sciences, told TOI.El Nino refers to the periodic large-scale warming of the ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, coupled with changes in the tropical atmospheric circulation, including changes in winds, pressure and rainfall patterns. It usually has the opposite effects of La Nina, which is linked to good monsoon rainfall in the Indian sub-continent.“The WMO community will be carefully monitoring conditions in the coming months to inform decision-making. The most recent El Nino, in 2023-24, was one of the five strongest on record and it played a role in the record global temperatures we saw in 2024,” said WMO secretary-general Celeste Saulo.“Seasonal forecasts for El Nino and La Nina help us avert millions of dollars in economic losses and are essential planning tools for climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture, health, energy and water management,” Saulo said.WMO Global Producing Centre last week’s forecasts indicate the chance of an El Nino increases steadily to around 40% during May-July period.

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar has mentioned that Sanju Samson was treated unfairly on the Indian side. He should have been part of the Indian T20I XI after those big hundreds in 2024, but instead lost his position to Shubman Gill.

India were the defending champions and looked like one of the strongest sides in the T20 World Cup, but during the start of their tournament, Abhishek Sharma‘s poor form had cost them the early upper hand in their home World Cup. The issue was resolved with Sanju Samson’s heroic entry into the Indian XI.

Not until the New Zealand series did Sanju have a place in the XI, but he was then tried after Indian selectors dropped Shubman Gill from the squad. However, despite the chances, Samson could not make full use of the NZ games and ended up scoring runs at an average of around 10.

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With Sanju Samson, I think there were serious blunders committed – Sanjay Manjrekar

The cricketer-turned-commentator, Sanjay Manjrekar, stressed the fact that the Indian team management was unfair with the wicket-keeper batter early on. India suddenly ignored his spectacular form in T20s and reinstated Shubman Gill into the side due to his prolific run in a Test series in England.

Forget Samson’s impact; Gill was not even effective in the shorter format of the game.

“With Sanju Samson, I think there were serious blunders committed. One is when Sanju Samson seemed to have come of age and recently got three T20 international hundreds in five innings against teams like South Africa. He was actually dropped down the order a few matches later, just after four or five innings, because Shubman Gill in England had a tremendous Test series.

“It just warped logic that because Shubman Gill played so well in Test cricket, he was reinstated, he was recalled to the Indian T20 team, and what’s worse, Sanju Samson, who was at the top of the order, was pushed down the order to make way for Shubman Gill,” he said while speaking in a video on Instagram.

Sanjay Manjrekar narrates how Samson’s T20 World Cup redemption was written

He continued with Sanju, slowly losing form in the Asia Cup, where he was sent in to bat lower in the batting order. However, despite limited opportunities, Samson scored 132 runs in 4 outings in the Asia Cup, 5 runs more than Shubman Gill’s 127 in 7 innings.

The former batter cited the vital role played by fate in Sanju Samson’s being reinstated into the Indian playing XI and his firing off to take India home through the knockout games in the ICC T20 World Cup.

“Now, this is where fate comes in. Rinku Singh’s absence [actually Abhishek Sharma due to illness] in one of the games [against Namibia] got Sanju Samson to come back in, and Tilak Varma, who was struggling at No. 3, was pushed down the order [against Zimbabwe], and that is why Ishan Kishan was batting at No. 3.

“He could bat at No. 3, and Sanju Samson got that spot, which should’ve been his right through at the top of the order, and as they say, the rest is history,” Manjrekar added.

A record three-match half-century streak from Sanju Samson to emerge as India’s World Cup hero

Sanju’s axing came despite the batter’s dynamic form in 2024 for India in T20I cricket and limited opportunities to express himself in 2025; however, he had to eagerly wait for the right stage, and he did.

When he got the unforeseen opportunity in the T20 World Cup, Samson did not miss out. He started off with a 22-run cameo against Namibia and followed it with a 24 off 15 against Zimbabwe.

However, his true redemption came when India were almost in a knockout situation against the West Indies. His 97* off 50 balls helped them through to the semi-finals in a high-voltage chase, and then he looked unstoppable.

An 89 off 42 against England in the semi-final and another 89 off 46 against New Zealand in the finals is what made Samson finish the tournament with 321 runs at a strike rate of 199.37.

ALSO READ: Ex-CSK spinner BLASTS at Kirti Azad over ‘temple’ visit comments after India’s T20WC win