Hira-Pheri !!

Hira-Pheri : My quick take on Neeraj Pandey’s “Sikandar ka Muqaddar” (Netflix)

Muqaddar and Sikandar used to be a power pair — like chai and pakora, or drama and daily soaps. But somewhere along the way, that luck seems to have done a full U-turn. First, Bhaijaan’s Sikandar went missing like a borrowed Tupperware. And now Neeraj Pandey’s Sikandar Ka Muqaddar quietly tiptoed onto Netflix without as much as a trailer sneeze. I mean, I’m Bingebhai, self-declared MovieKumar, someone who watches Netflix the way others check WhatsApp — and even I didn’t spot it since its November release.

The plot kicks off at a high-profile jewellery exhibition. Police, acting on a mysterious tip, manage to foil an attempted robbery — cue some confident chest-thumping — only to realise that five red solitaire diamonds worth ₹50–60 crores have somehow still vanished.

Now, enter Jimmy Shergill, aka Inspector Jaswinder Singh — the man, the myth, the mood. With a face that says “I haven’t smiled since 2007” and a tone that could get a confession out of Siri, he’s brought in to crack the case. His track record is spotless, unlike his personal life — because, true to Jimmy tradition, this cop too has a home life that resembles a ‘before’ photo.

Jimmy’s character quickly lines up three suspects: Tamannaah Bhatia, her somewhat suspicious colleague, and Avinash Tiwary as Sikandar — a techie with the quiet confidence of someone who knows more than he says, and possibly less than he pretends. Each of them looks guilty enough to make you point fingers, but innocent enough to make you second-guess them.

Here’s where Neeraj Pandey the writer gets to shine. The script throws twists at you like a cricket bowler on Red Bull. Every ten minutes, your theory gets demolished by a new reveal. Just when you’ve put two and two together, the film pulls out a five and a joker. It’s engaging, it’s pacy, and it keeps your brain doing squats.

But Neeraj Pandey the director seems to be having a slightly different day. The film jumps between past and present so often, you start checking if your remote’s rewinding on its own. There’s a point where you’re no longer watching a film, you’re decoding it — piecing together who knew what, when, and where everyone was on the day of the diamond disappearance. It’s not boring, just a bit exhausting — like trying to eat a samosa with chopsticks.

On the acting front, everyone pulls their weight. Tamannaah Bhatia is polished and unreadable — part charm, part mystery. Avinash Tiwary plays Sikandar with that perfect “Am I shady or misunderstood?” vibe. And Jimmy Shergill? He’s in beast mode. Focused, calm, and emotionally unavailable — he could interrogate you for murder while calmly filling out his tax returns. And of course, continuing his cinematic tradition, marital bliss once again eludes him.

All in all, Sikandar Ka Muqaddar is a decent ride — not a high-octane thriller, but not a dud either. It’s like a street-side chaat: spicy, slightly messy, occasionally confusing, but ultimately satisfying. The performances carry the film, the writing keeps you guessing, and the direction… well, it tries its best to keep up.

Watch it if you enjoy playing detective, don’t mind juggling timelines, and have a soft spot for Jimmy Shergill’s forever-single-on-screen cop roles. Just don’t expect all your questions to be answered — especially the biggest one: Why is everyone named Sikandar having such bad luck these days?