Sultan, the Indian Rocky

Rating: 9/10 (9 July 2016)

Sultan stars Salman Khan and Anushka Sharma in the lead roles and is the story of a fighter who must learn how to fight again after tragedy strikes in his life. This movie, just like Bajrangi Bhaijaan last year, really surprised me. Sultan is actually a very well made and very entertaining sports drama like I've never seen before from India. It features characters who are charming and interesting. Salman Khan delivers another terrific performance as Sultan and he really sells the physicality and more importantly the emotional depth of the character. Anushka Sharma is also really good here too.
The movie is split evenly between two stories and I thought the first half really spent too much time setting up the romance rather that the other important events that take place. The romance is a bit cheesy and it's the type which you've seen from Bollywood before many times. But after the interval, the movie takes off and doesn't stop until its conclusion. The second half feels very much like a Rocky movie, but in India, and that was really nice to see. The fight scenes are pretty well done also, and so is the music. Another tiny problem is that the movie is very clichéd and it will end almost exactly the you would think it would.
Overall, Sultan is a terrific film. It's a movie that everyone in the family can watch and enjoy. There's a strong message about never giving up and it is heartwarming to watch. There are a few flaws I had in the first half but the movie then becomes really good towards the end. Definitely check out Sultan!
Sultan gets an A-.