A Potpourri of Vestiges Review
By Murtaza Ali Khan (@apotofvestiges)
Featured in IMDb Critic ReviewsSultan (2016) - By Ali Abbas Zafar
Sultan is a 2016 Indian sports-drama film written and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. Produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films banner, Sultan stars Salman Khan and Anushka Sharma in pivotal roles with the former essaying a wrestler, Sultan Ali Khan, who rises from a small town and achieves global fame by winning the Wrestling World Championship. Sultan is a story of the wrestler’s rise and fall and his professional comeback years later as an MMA fighter. The movie co-stars Randeep Hooda, Amit Sadh, Parikshit Sahni, and MMA fighter Tyron Woodley.Our Rating: 6.5IMDb Ratings: 6.2Genre: Action | Drama | Romance Cast: Salman Khan, Anushka Sharma, Randeep HoodaCountry: IndiaLanguage: HindiRuntime: 170 minColor: ColorSalman Khan as Wrestler Sultan Ali Khan in Ali Abbas Zafar's Sultan
Sultan begins on a rather slow note as the plot takes time to build up. We are introduced to a simpleton named Sultan Ali Khan who hails from the Rewari district of the Indian state of Haryana. Sultan runs a small cable TV company. Thanks to his athletic build, he happens to be the fastest kite runner in the neighborhood. During one of his running attempts, he bumps into a girl named Aarfa who is a state wrestling champion. In an endeavor to win her over, Sultan starts training as a professional wrestler and soon wins the State Championship. He follows it up with the World Championship and an Olympic Gold Medal. At the height of his professional career, Sultan experiences a tragic loss which makes him give up wrestling. After spending almost a decade in oblivion, Sultan gets his chance at redemption in form of Pro Takedown—India’s first mixed martial arts professional league featuring fighters from across the globe. But Sultan is too old and too overweight to compete with some of the deadliest fighters on the planet. Will Sultan's professional comeback be short-lived? Or, will he finally succeed in redeeming himself? Well, to give you a hint, the movie is closer to the Rocky series than it is to Raging Bull.Anushka Sharma as Aarfa in Sultan
Sultan exactly proves to be what one expects from a Salman Khan movie. Yes, you guessed it right! It is an Eid special, a complete family entertainer that will make you laugh and cry, should you choose to suspend your disbelief. The first half is slightly dull but just has enough color to keep one engaged. Come the second half, the movie shapes up really well and more than makes up for the languid first half. The movie's flow here also feels a lot more natural than it does in the first half. A Still from Ali Abbas Zafar's Sultan
Salman Khan proves yet again why he is India's greatest entertainer today. Sultan is the furthest he has pushed himself in recent years. The results are quite obvious. He plays Sultan Ali Khan with the unbridled innocence of a child. The innocence he is able to exude on the silver is one of Salman's greatest charms. Anushka Sharma gets more screen time than any other actress has ever got in a Salman Khan film in recent times. And, to her credit, she does succeed in making her presence felt. The leads are well backed up by the supporting cast with Randeep Hooda delivering a memorable performance. A Still from Ali Abbas Zafar's Sultan
Overall, Sultan is an out and out family entertainer that would enthrall the average viewer with its themes of love, sacrifice, success, failure, guilt and redemption. And, as Ali Abbas Zafar promised, Sultan does succeed in presenting a new face of Muslim protagonists for whom Indian identity is above any other identity. Certainly, it couldn’t have come at a better time. And who better than Salman Khan to set this new trend? Sultan is flooded with product placements which can prove to be annoying. The makers appear desperate to make the most out of a Salman Khan film. But who can blame them? Sultan, for the most part, teleports us to a world of romanticism and escapism but realism seldom goes well with the Indian audiences. The fighting sequences in the movie are brilliantly choreographed. Also, the set decoration is absolutely commendable. Some of the aerial shots of Old Delhi with the famous Jama Masjid in the backdrop are breathtaking to watch. The high level of predictability and lack of plausibility of Sultan’s plot may disappoint the sophisticated audiences, but the rest will savor it without any reservations. Salman Khan continues to be on a roll. Another grand box-office opening is on the cards for him.
Readers, please feel free to share your views/opinions in the comment box below. As always your insightful comments are highly appreciated!
References:
IMDb
Wikipedia
Sultan (2016) Trailer (YouTube)
Previous Post: Abbas Kiarostami: The Death of a Cinematic Poet
A Potpourri of Vestiges Review
By Murtaza Ali Khan (@apotofvestiges)
Featured in IMDb Critic Reviews
| Sultan (2016) - By Ali Abbas Zafar |
Our Rating: 6.5
IMDb Ratings: 6.2
Genre: Action | Drama | Romance
Cast: Salman Khan, Anushka Sharma, Randeep Hooda
Country: India
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 170 min
Color: Color
| Salman Khan as Wrestler Sultan Ali Khan in Ali Abbas Zafar's Sultan |
Sultan begins on a rather slow note as the plot takes time to build up. We are introduced to a simpleton named Sultan Ali Khan who hails from the Rewari district of the Indian state of Haryana. Sultan runs a small cable TV company. Thanks to his athletic build, he happens to be the fastest kite runner in the neighborhood. During one of his running attempts, he bumps into a girl named Aarfa who is a state wrestling champion. In an endeavor to win her over, Sultan starts training as a professional wrestler and soon wins the State Championship. He follows it up with the World Championship and an Olympic Gold Medal. At the height of his professional career, Sultan experiences a tragic loss which makes him give up wrestling. After spending almost a decade in oblivion, Sultan gets his chance at redemption in form of Pro Takedown—India’s first mixed martial arts professional league featuring fighters from across the globe. But Sultan is too old and too overweight to compete with some of the deadliest fighters on the planet. Will Sultan's professional comeback be short-lived? Or, will he finally succeed in redeeming himself? Well, to give you a hint, the movie is closer to the Rocky series than it is to Raging Bull.
| Anushka Sharma as Aarfa in Sultan |
Sultan exactly proves to be what one expects from a Salman Khan movie. Yes, you guessed it right! It is an Eid special, a complete family entertainer that will make you laugh and cry, should you choose to suspend your disbelief. The first half is slightly dull but just has enough color to keep one engaged. Come the second half, the movie shapes up really well and more than makes up for the languid first half. The movie's flow here also feels a lot more natural than it does in the first half.
| A Still from Ali Abbas Zafar's Sultan |
Salman Khan proves yet again why he is India's greatest entertainer today. Sultan is the furthest he has pushed himself in recent years. The results are quite obvious. He plays Sultan Ali Khan with the unbridled innocence of a child. The innocence he is able to exude on the silver is one of Salman's greatest charms. Anushka Sharma gets more screen time than any other actress has ever got in a Salman Khan film in recent times. And, to her credit, she does succeed in making her presence felt. The leads are well backed up by the supporting cast with Randeep Hooda delivering a memorable performance.
| A Still from Ali Abbas Zafar's Sultan |
Overall, Sultan is an out and out family entertainer that would enthrall the average viewer with its themes of love, sacrifice, success, failure, guilt and redemption. And, as Ali Abbas Zafar promised, Sultan does succeed in presenting a new face of Muslim protagonists for whom Indian identity is above any other identity. Certainly, it couldn’t have come at a better time. And who better than Salman Khan to set this new trend? Sultan is flooded with product placements which can prove to be annoying. The makers appear desperate to make the most out of a Salman Khan film. But who can blame them? Sultan, for the most part, teleports us to a world of romanticism and escapism but realism seldom goes well with the Indian audiences. The fighting sequences in the movie are brilliantly choreographed. Also, the set decoration is absolutely commendable. Some of the aerial shots of Old Delhi with the famous Jama Masjid in the backdrop are breathtaking to watch. The high level of predictability and lack of plausibility of Sultan’s plot may disappoint the sophisticated audiences, but the rest will savor it without any reservations. Salman Khan continues to be on a roll. Another grand box-office opening is on the cards for him.
Readers, please feel free to share your views/opinions in the comment box below. As always your insightful comments are highly appreciated!
References:
IMDb
Wikipedia
Sultan (2016) Trailer (YouTube)
Previous Post: Abbas Kiarostami: The Death of a Cinematic Poet