Movie Review: Sultan

Like most sports films, Director Ali Abbas Zafar (‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’, ‘Gunday’) tells us the story of an underdog in ‘Sultan’. It’s only when you root for the hero and badly want him to triumph after his downfall that you know the movie works.

Salman Khan is Sultan Ali Khan- a former world champion wrestler aged, out of shape and not wrestling anymore for years now. Why? It’s a love story as well and like any other commercial movie targeted at the masses, there is some drama and melodrama.
A businessman (Amit Sadh) offers him to enter the ring again in a premier league for which he has been incurring losses for a few years. All he needed was a son of the soil to do wonders for him and who better than Sultan?

It’s all predictable and you know what’s in store. There are also a few unneeded songs.

But ‘Sultan’ is a must-watch for Salman Khan fans and also for those who are not. Famous, infamous, right or wrong; he has always been among my favourite stars. It’s a different matter that I have rarely admired his performances barring a few of them. While ‘Dabangg’ was a real entertainer, it was ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ which made me sit up and take notice of his untapped calibre as an actor. I’m glad to say this- Salman Khan is excellent in ‘Sultan’ too. He must have put in a lot of effort and it shows, be it the Haryanvi accent or the wrestling scenes or the emotional ones.

Anushka Sharma supports him very well and she is good. Both Amit Sadh and Randeep Hooda are cast in important roles.

The wrestling scenes are filmed well; the background score and the title track add well to the impact. There are also a few life lessons which you can take away after leaving the hall.

At nearly three hours, ‘Sultan’ does feel a little long but not boring for most parts.

Blockbuster for sure and well-deserving, ‘Sultan’ should break records both in metros and non-metros.

• About the Author

About Abhirup Dhar

I don't watch movies... I live them! Let me introduce myself. Abhirup Dhar was born in Kolkata and is still being brought up in India. A banker by profession, he is filmy to the core and is passionate about reviewing movies and writing. He likes to live on his own… he likes to be blunt, sarcastic, famous, infamous, confident, over-confident, moody at times… he likes to be himself. He is imperfect because perfection is boring. His love for movies dates back to his childhood days when he studied in a boarding school. A three-month Winter Vacation every year… and he made sure he watched as many movies then. Parents thought it was a phase... he knew it was Passion and he knew it back then itself. The craziness to watch movies on the Big Screen began during the last two years of school when he literally bunked to town so that he could catch up with the new Hindi Movie releases. Some thought he was plain crazy. He confirmed it was Passion... yet again. The hard fact is that not always can you walk a path you are passionate about. You have expectations to fulfill and Life to be made. But Life gives you chances and you have to grab them. So... here is he... your friendly critic who will be giving you his Verdict every week so that you can decide which release is worth your moolah and which is not! See you at the Movies! Stay connected at Facebook and Twitter!