Review of Sultan (2016) by Shreehari H — 12 Jan 2017

One thing that's instantly noticeable about Sultan is the fact that Salman Khan - that most enigmatic of Bollywood thespians - doesn't play himself.

Here, finally, is a fully fleshed-out role that he gets to sink his teeth into - and one that's a far cry from the grossly caricatured versions of himself that he's grown so accustomed to playing in the recent past.

In Sultan, director Ali Abbas Zafar draws an enchanting portrait of a Haryanvi wrestler who, in his rather arduous quest for infinite glory, loses a piece of his soul somewhere along the way.

In doing so, Zafar also tackles some very interesting themes: the gaping chasm that is the gender divide in modern rural India, the thin line that separates confidence from egotism, and the double-edged sword that love continues to represent in any courtship.

As Sultan, Salman is clearly in riveting form, giving us a faulty, layered person whom we can all empathise with and relate to.

The scenes in which he grapples with various opponents over the course of the film are exquisitely well-shot and pulsate with a certain raw energy that is hard to describe.

The biggest strength of Sultan, however, lies in the tender, beautiful romance that its lead couple shares - it's awkward, heart wrenching and exhilarating all at the same time.

Both Salman and Anushka share an electrifying chemistry - the latter does some of her best work here - and this helps elevate their on-screen relationship to unprecedented levels of loveliness.

At its heart, Sultan is a very simple tale - much of it is indeed mired in the oldest of storytelling cliches - albeit one that's told with a lot of heart.

For the die-hard romantic that lurks somewhere deep inside each one of us, there is beauty to be found in banality.

Not unlike its muscular protagonist, this film packs quite a punch.