Sultan Movie Review

It’s that time of the year again. No, we are not talking about Eid. We’re talking about the day of a Salman Khan movie release. It is the biggest day of the year in Bollywood, and rightly so. Salman is back in the Yash Raj Films camp with their second collaboration together after Ek Tha Tiger (2012). Ali Abbas Zafar, who previously hasn’t worked with any Superstar is in charge of directing duties. Will the Eid and Salman lucky charm make him enter the big league of directors? How will Anushka and Salman’s chemistry fare in the movie? And above all, is Salman Khan able to keep his streak going?

Story: Sultan Ali Khan (Salman) and Arfa (Anushka) are both up and coming wrestlers in Haryana. They both have a lot of potential to bring glory for India. This is when they both strike a love affair, and Sultan’s fortunes reach the sky as he brings India the gold medal. Everything goes hunky dory with Sultan making big strides but then the big twist happens which changes everything in Sultan’s life. What happens to Sultan and Arfa? Sultan does get a chance to redeem himself after many years in a new battlefield but does winning matter or does life matter more? Is Sultan able to get back the life he always dreamed of with his non-chalant eyes? This forms the crux of the underdog sports fairytale.

Sultan Review: The first half of Sultan is replete with character building and building the life of Sultan, and Ali Abbas Zafar is smart enough to show that Sultan reaches the zenith of success before tasting the mud of failure. This way, the redemption is a lot more effective and meaningful. Sultan flows freely through the first half, and after slight hiccups in the second half finally comes into its own. The screenplay manages to capture the local dialect of Haryana but makes it difficult for the rest of India to grasp the words. We wished the characters spoke a bit slower. Ali Abbas Zafar shows his true commercial cinema acumen with Sultan and this could mark his entry into the big league.

The makers did well by hiring a cinematographer like Artur Zurawski, who is a famous Polish cinematographer, to shoot Sultan. He sees things which probably an Indian wouldn’t have seen. Sultan is beautifully shot, both the rustic rural settings and the urban arena settings where most of the action takes place. The editing of Sultan is a bit average as a few scenes which slow down the movie could have been cut. The production design and costume design give it a big movie feel without losing the realism angle. The background score is a bit too loud and overdone.

The music of Sultan has been composed by Vishal Shekhar with songs like Baby ko Bass Pasand Hai and Jag Ghoomeya already making a mark. 440 volt is a nifty peppy song and Sacchi Mucchi is the underrated song in the soundtrack. But the aforementioned Jag Ghoomeya (all versions) and Bulleya leave a lasting impression. A return to form for Vishal Shekhar.

Acting: Salman Khan has been in the form of his life. In Sultan, he shows his dedication and commitment to holding on to the status of the numerous uno actor by delving into the role of Sultan Ali Khan with more grit than we have ever seen before. He tries his level best to mouth the dialogues in his Haryanvi accent but he shines in the fighting scenes. Anushka Sharma is in prime position to replace Deepika and Priyanka in their absence and with Sultan she goes toe to toe with Salman Khan in whatever opportunity she gets. Her wrestling scenes are realistic. Randeep Hooda doesn’t have a big role but he shines as the coach who makes Sultan redeem himself. Without Randeep’s intense bravado Sultan would have fallen flat. Amit Sadh is decent in his role.

Conclusion: Sultan is the type of big film which does things a bit differently while keep the commercial aspects of the movie intact. It is a movie that is led all the way through by a charming performance by a lead actor in the form of his life. Sultan is not flawless. There are pacing issues and the accent of the actors may turn off some people, but the underlying goodness eventually shines through. If you are in the mood to spend your money this monsoon, Sultan is one of the best ways to spend it on. Go give it a watch!

Pros:

  • Salman Khan gives a great performance, so does Anushka
  • The fighting scenes are very well choreographed
  • The cinematography, production design and costume design are all pluses
  • The music is solid, even if it lacks a bonafide chartbuster
  • Ali Abbas Zafar ties the film together beautifully without compromising on the commercial aspects

Cons:

  • The editor could have chopped off a few scenes which would have brought down the length
  • The story might seem unrealistic to a few

Rating: ★★★★☆

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125 Comments

  • Well..finally watched a good massy film..I was thirsty for a long time to watch a Bollywood potboiler and finally sultan has delivered what was expected…the entertainment quotient is superb but since the length of the film is 170 minutes it becomes very difficult to make a film without dull moments..sultan has its share of blemishes but the best part is that it’s a highly entertaining film and can be enjoyed by all segments of audience..the film is slow in the first half and the romantic angle didn’t impress me much..also,there were around 4-5 songs in the first half itself but the film picks up very well after that and remains on track till the end..The actions scenes were good and quite raw..music goes well with the film…
    Salman Khan is the heart and soul of this film..he carries the film on his broad shoulders and time and again manages to lift the mood of the film..Anushka Sharma is very pretty for a wrestler..Amit Sadh does well..Randeep Hooda provides the much needed solidity in the second half..supporting cast has also done very well…Ali Abbas Zafar’s direction in presenting salman Khan as sultan is top notch..however,there are times where he could have been better..on the contrary,there are scenes where he exceeds expectations especially during the climax portions of the film and a good part of the second half…
    All said and done, Ali Abbas zafar has directed his best film to date although he is just three film old but comparisons will be made with his previous outings and gunday and MBKD look quite mediocre in front of sultan..I am very happy with the overall output of the film..after a long time enjoyed watching a film where I could shout my heart out when the hero makes his entry and there is no one at the moment who can carry this heroism like Salman Khan does..Suktan is sure to be a massive blockbuster..Expecting a 250 crore nett plus lifetime total..it could be higher also if it finds immense appreciation…All the best

  • Great review indicine ! I have watchd the first show Sultan is a must watch ! Salman Khan is brilliant as Sultan ! Anushka proved it how great actress she is !

  • Lol, 4* – Typical trade mark of indicine. :D

    /*
    The editor could have chopped off a few scenes which would have brought down the length.
    */

    That means my friends were right. As I said earlier, Sultana is way too stretched in the second half and on top of that, torturous acting of non-actor is an icing on the cake.

  • Meanwhile 3.6 billion burnol sold by Amazon after the Amazing opening of Sultan ! If u know what i mean ;)

  • Team Indicine,

    Your review is not giving that much confidence to Bhai’s Fans…

    Hahaha, You Team also were lacking some confidence while writing the review, It clearly shows…

  • /*
    The story might seem unrealistic to a few.
    */

    Obviously it will appear to be unrealistic especially when you see a rhino (with bloated tummy) challenging the ‘actual’ wrestlers in the ring.

  • I read reviews of films like Fan, Talaash and Brothers where critics say Shahrukh, Amir and Akshay are the only saving grace of the film. But Lolman is the only actor whose films have the funny review of ‘Randeep/Nawazuddin are the only saving grace of the film’

  • As always Indicine has a habit of giving 4 stars to Big Movies . K3, D3, HNY, Kick, PRDP, Dilwale, Fan and now Sultan . After reading your review I thought you will give 3 stars or at the max 3.5 stars . Anyways I have not seen Sultan so can’t say whether it falls in the league of Dabangg or PRDP, Bodyguard, Kick, Ready, D2 and Jai Ho .

  • 3 .2 .1 now you see lots of haters giving their review here even without watching the movie ! god bless them !

  • Reports from Critics are Amazing..

    So this is another Salman movie after Bajrangi Bhaijaan which is Critically and Commercially Acclaimed….

  • Few Reviews are good about the film (Surely the producer and bhai have sent the cash to their home) but, Trust me the viewers reviews are going bad…

    The movie is very lengthy and after interval it is like torturing yourselves into the theaters…

    Maximum 190 Crores…

  • Also Response from General Audience is Superb, everyone who watched it in morning show give a huge thumbs up to SULTAN…

    So expecting Extremely Positive WOM…

  • Cons mentioned by indicine really arenot that much points to be worried about as Salman’s fans doesnot matter if the scene is unrealistic..
    @indicine it means film clicks the heart of audience as far u are concerned…Right??

  • Sultan opens well in Tamil Nadu too.. Because no Big Tamil films in this festival season. I think, this is the first time, a hindi film will catch the top position in Chennai box office. Earlier Hollywood films were in top positions in Chennai box office in several occasions. But This would be the first time for a Bollywood film, I hope.

  • @indicine the censor copy of great grand masti has been leaked on internet.. Please post the news about that

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