New Delhi:
'Sultan' presents Salman Khan in a never seen before avatar. As a 'Romeo wrestler' he punches all the right knocks to claim one of his most credible acts so far.
Salman Khan comes with an attitude where he owns acts more with his charm than skills. Be it soft-at-heart 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' or tough at mind 'Dabangg', he is the one who delivers performances and not just acting. This time his character is closer to reality, more powerful and ditches his shirt for a valid reason.
In Sultan, director Ali Abbas Zafar, tries to shrug off the usual but in the end cannot escape the lure of a Salman-powered theme. Unlike Mere Brother ki Dulhan and Gunday, this is the first instance where Zafar had to balance the awe of an actor with pragmatism and a weak plot.
The plot is one which may remind us of 'The Rocky series' implying that the weight on Salman's shoulders was even higher.
Playing a middle-aged, out of shape former gold champion wrestler who returns to the ring, to conquer the devil in him, Salman Khan delivers a power-packed performance, arguably the best of his career.
The rise of small-town Haryanvi Jatt Sultan Ali Khan, as he travels from anonymity to being a world champion, his love for Aarfa, the gutsy woman wrestler, are stitched together in a screenplay with overdone montage and songs. The time span of 2 hours and 50 minutes does feel too long, especially in the first half which is dedicated to a flashback showcasing love story of Sultan and Aarfa.
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Anushka Sharma's character also faces the heat of a weak script. She is well introduced, comes with a message on women empowerment but soon after setting up the tone, the director seems to have lost direction with her character. She ends up being side-lined in a familiar Salman driven climax.
Side characters which include actors like Randeep Hooda as Sultan's trainer, Amit Sadh as business man, Kumud Mishra as Aarfa's father and Anant Sharma as Sultan's best friend also get overshadowed with the gigantic centralised character of Sultan; who otherwise have delivered decent performances too.
In terms of music, Vishal-Shekar terribly falls flat as it’s more of noise that grapples the ears than the sound that should crush your soul in movie like this which is heavily loaded with emotions.
Final Verdict: Do not get confused, it is all-in-all Salman Khan movie with added sense and logic.
