Movie review – Sultan – Emotional quotient with action makes it a complete Salman Khan entertainer
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By Joginder Tuteja

Strong emotional quotient – This is what makes Sultan a film which is much beyond just some ‘kushti’ in an ‘akhada’, or for that matter a MMA platform in the second half. While on watching the promo one got an impression that the entire story was out there on display, you realise that there is a lot more that writer-director Ali Abbas Zafar has to offer in Sultan which is inherently a strong emotional tale of Salman Khan and Anushka Sharma.

This is something that is hinted right in the first 10 minutes when Salman Khan is shown as a small town Government servant who has moved on from being a ‘pehelwan’. Even as he says that he has a ‘chattees ka aankra’ with the ring and there won’t be any returning to the arena, there are some silent exchanges with Anushka Sharma which makes the story anybody’s guess. While there are quite a few theories that start coming to your mind, Ali does well to break away from the clichés and actually surprise you every 15-20 minutes.

So right from the beautiful love story that develops between Salman and Anushka to his naughty antics along with friend Anant Sharma to his stepping into the ‘akhada’ to the confrontation that follows to the happy twists in the tale, you are hooked on to the proceedings. The songs (by Vishal-Shekhar) play a major part in the narrative moving forward while the action in the ring is well choreographed too. However, just when you start wondering about the direction that Sultan would eventually take, Ali brings in a major twist to the tale which establishes an altogether different graph for the film.

The second half brings in a story of its own and this is where characters played by Amit Sadh and Randeep Hooda add a lot of value. While former brings in good warmth to the story, latter brings on a few chuckles that ensure that Sultan isn’t monotonous at all. Moreover, as actors too they excel as Amit is very earnest while Randeep is confident as ever. Special mention to Anant Sharma who seems like being in his hometown while shooting. He is fun to watch and doesn’t go overboard despite a strong Haryanvi act. Ditto for Kumud Mishra who has been consistently performing well on screen now.

Talking of performances, it is remarkable to see how Salman Khan is continuing to play a different character in his films. He may be accused of stepping into a Dabangg zone each time around but really, are films like Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo or Sultan anywhere close to his Dabangg image? It is high time he gets credit for trying something new even in commercial arena and his wonderfully emotional and action combo act in Sultan is a testimony of that. As for Anushka Sharma, she is very restrained in an important role and an actress of lesser calibre and experience wouldn’t have been able to stand up and deliver like her. She is very good.

Commercially speaking, while the film has already taken a record start and should maintain well right through the five day weekend, it would all boil down to the weekdays that would decide if Sultan turns out to be just a Superhit or go past the Blockbuster status. If audience give their thumbs up even to the film’s length (which is near three hours), Sultan has all in it to cover a much greater distance.

Rating: ****