If Eid 2015 saw the release of Salman’s heart-wrenching drama ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, Eid 2016 witnessed the showcase of yet another soulful drama by Bhai, called ‘Sultan’.
With direction under director Ali Abbas Zafar, the film doesn’t fail to deliver gentle sports drama with an undertone of romance.
The film kicks off depicting Sultan, an ace amateur wrestler in his prime. Having suffered some tedious but oh-so-not surprising personal atrocities, he settles upon the decision to quit the sport for good, because how else would the director make you sob?
A glorified and well-celebrated sportsman was so forgotten that even after earning several World and Olympic titles, the creator of a Mixed Martial Arts tournament of his country had no clue whatsoever of the existence of this ace of an internationally decorated wrestler.
The film revolves around Salman’s character Sultan’s journey to woo his wife (Anushka Sharma) back into his life and regain his internal as well as external spirits as a fighter.
His endeavor is further funded by Aakash (Amit Sadh) the creator of the very same MMA tournament in which Sultan takes part in, upskilled by an underground legend Fateh (Randeep Hooda) and supported by Govind (Anant Vidhaat) his childhood buddy. Together they deliver a slightly long but a pragmatically heartwarming movie.
THE WOO’s:
- Salman’s incredibly believable performance as a fallen sports star struggling to get back in his sport and at the same time fighting his inner demons to become the best of himself is beamingly emotional and real.
- Anushka’s portrayal of a badass female wrestler, who not only brings out the wrestler in Sultan but also delivers an exquisite performance as a feminist and a loving, caring wife.
- Exquisite background music whenever Anushka and Salman came on screen melted my heart.
- Final moments of Sultan beating the hell out of every firang wrestler.
- The ironical moment when Randeep Hooda remarks on Sultan’s Jat heritage was way too funny to miss out on.
THE MEH’s:
- First and foremost, the unbelievably essential songs such as “Baby ko Bass Pasand Hai” came in handy whenever I’d wish to check my WhatsApp.
- The variable Haryanvi accent. Salman delivered a fantastic performance as Sultan but lacked mastering the dialect of the character by several miles. Similarly every actor in the movie sort of developed their own version of the accent which was kind of ridiculous.
- Too many fights! Given that the movie is a sports drama, action sequences were inescapable. But the second half of the movie felt like I was actually marathon watching the whole tournament, with additional BEHIND THE SCENES!
- There were Chyawanprash jokes! ‘Nuff said.
FINAL VERDICT:
Watch it for the intensity and perplexity of Salman’s character. Watch it for Ali Abbas Zafar’s brilliant screenplay that does not get lost midway and keeps the audience intact even though the outcome was pretty much expected.
The chemistry between the protagonists is charming and not superficial. The music is something to sit through but delivering a mainstream drama without too much masala, was achieved remarkably by this movie.
I give it 3 stars!
Also read our review of Udta Punjab, here
http://edtimes.in/2016/06/udta-punjab-ed-review-the-gravity-of-the-drug-problem-in-punjab-hits-really-hard/
