SULTAN movie review : "Yet another underdog story from Bollywood, with Salman delivering performance of a lifetime!"

Rating: 8/10 (11 July 2016)

Riding on the super stardom of Salman Khan, director Ali Abbas Zafar's Sultan is a sports drama which mixes elements of love, loss,success,pride, sacrifice and ultimately the triumph of the 'never-give-up' spirit. It chronicles the journey of a small town wrestler from the hinterlands of Haryana, Sultan Ali Khan(played by Salman Khan) - his rise, fall and his comeback to the ring and above all, his struggle with what lies within.
A small time cable-TV guy, Sultan is smitten by the beautiful, Aarfa(Anushka Sharma), a lady wrestler and in order to win her love,joins the 'akhaada' run by her father,who coaches the wannabe wrestlers.The happy-go-lucky guy finds a purpose in life when he is humiliated by her girl who sees him no lesser than a clown.In order to prove himself, Sultan embarks on a rigorous journey of self- transformation and goes on to win the state level championship.And then there is no stopping, he becomes an icon and wins laurels at International level as well.Sultan and Aarfa get married and start a family.All is hunky dory till a major setback brings fissure in their relationship and impel him to relinquish the ring.Its only after a hiatus, that the owner of a mixed martial art franchise coaxes him to come back to the ring and reclaim his glory and conquer his guilt.
Zafar weaves a plot that has all the trappings of a commercial potboiler but the spotlight here is the dedication and earnestness that Salman brings to his character and the brawny masculinity that a wrestler exhibits.The ring-fights are pulsating and your adrenaline gushes fast when Sultan thrashes his opponents with his deadly 'dhobi' slams, with the 'sultan anthem' running on high decibels.His emotional moments with his girlfriend-turned-wife ,Aarfa( played by Anushka Sharma) soar high, complemented by an admirable performance by the actress who also plays a feisty lady wrestler.Though the complexities in their conjugal relationship are well-touched, keeping in mind our Indian sensibilities,I wish the writers had developed more layers to Anuska's character.With Salman doing the heavy-lifting,she is almost cornered in the film's post interval portions.The actor, however, is in complete form - delivering a mature performance with remarkable credibility.He is the quintessential man-child,and exudes that facade with flourish.Turning guilt and redemption into a fine art, Salman makes Sultan tread the thin line between arrogance and pride.
The film gets a positive fillip from the impressive performances of the supporting cast - Sultan's chaddi buddy, played by Anant Sharma is specially terrific, Randeep Hooda as the cynical coach, Kumud Mishra as the inherently supportive father-in-law and the entrepreneur with a heart,played by Amit Sadh.The training regimes will leave you in awe,which transform the forty something paunchy and grizzly Sultan back to shape,vigor and a fiery temperament.Vishal Shekhar's Music is groovy and pitched at right intervals.Powered with great detailing, the sets are extravagant and the ring fights are truly brutal and authentic.
With a butt-numbing running time of 2 hours and 50 minutes, Sultan feels dragged with a swelled-up second half and falls into the typical Bollywood clichés.Its only Salman's charisma that propels the plot forward.
This is a perfect 'Eid' Gift from Bollywood's infant terrible,Sallu Bhaijaan. One deserves every bit of this wholesome entertainer.