Spoilers ahead…
Watching a Salman Khan film today reminds me of watching Woody Allen’s films in the 1990s, when the sixty-something actor/director kept pairing himself with decades-younger actresses like Elisabeth Shue and Julia Roberts. I remember thinking: Dude, I’m trying to look at this as just a movie, without bringing your off-screen story in. But do you have to keep rubbing it in? But that’s part of the trashy, tabloidy allure of the movies. It’s impossible to separate Sultan from Salman, Salman from Sultan. It isn’t just that the six-lettered, two-syllabled names roll off the tongue the same way. It’s also that we’re so aware of being worked over in order to buy an image: the innocent with such a “saaf dil” that “Jo man mein aata hai, keh deta hoon.” Sultan is speaking to Aarfa (Anushka Sharma), but isn’t he really addressing the National Commission for Women? The knowledge that Sultan’s screenplay was written long before the NCW decided to haul him up for his remark about rape does little to dispel these resonances.
Like Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Sultan – the story of a wrestler – feels as much a movie as a gargantuan PR exercise for its gargantuan star. Sultan/Salman is the small-town chhora (from Rewari, Haryana) who reads Hindi newspapers, and who keeps searching for the right word when speaking in English (“woh kya kehte hain angrezi mein?” is a constant refrain). He gives school-going children a lift on his tired, old, incapable-of-running-over-anyone scooter (compare this to the gleaming, speedy SUV a fat-cat city slicker like Akash, played by Amit Sadh, drives). Sultan’s best friend is a Hindu (Govind, played by a delightful Anant Sharma), and he’s such a peace-lover that he wants to name his son… Aman. (Had he had a daughter, maybe she’d be called Shanti?) Sultan is, quite literally, a son of the soil – the endlessly repeated (and rousing) title song suggests that the dust of small-town India courses through his veins (“khoon tere mitti, mitti tere khoon”). Hence the non-MNC-ness of the brands that pop up in his wrestling career: Escort tractors, Kukreja pressure cookers. I was especially intrigued by two scenes. The first time we see Sultan, it’s during a wrestling match, and the crowds screaming his name are waving saffron and green flags. A nod to the star’s pan-Indian, pan-religious popularity? And then, this – a scene where a father says his son wants to change his name to Sultan (instead of adopting, say, a film star’s name), because unlike Sultan, film stars are fake. Translation: forget whatever happens off-screen, forget the star, forget Salman. Only what’s on screen is real, only Sultan is real.
With that in mind, I must say I rather enjoyed Sultan, which has been directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. I enjoyed it the way I enjoyed Bajrangi Bhaijaan. I like how these films – and only Salman Khan seems to be making them – set out on a path we now call “old-fashioned storytelling” and, along the way, find a few new things to do, show, say. Sultan opens with Akash mulling over the future of his Mixed Martial Arts venture, called Pro Takedown. (MMA seems to be all the rage among Hindi filmmakers these days. Also see Brothers and Do Lafzon Ki Kahani.) Things are not going well, and Akash’s father (Parikshat Sahni) tells him that the stadiums are empty because there is no desi connect. “Jo bhi cheez imported ho, woh tumhe cool lagta hai,” he says, and suggests a change: Sultan. An akhara-honed Indian pehelwan taking on gym-trained Western fighters – it’s Naya Daur all over again. With a splash of Dushman. In order to atone for a tragedy he inadvertently caused, Sultan has to do something for the society at large. And the story of the underdog fighter dragged out of retirement is classic Hollywood. Sultan is like those films whose posters scream “His greatest fight was outside the ring.” There’s another quote, at the very beginning: Wrestling isn’t a sport. It’s about fighting what lies within. Opening lines are typically words of wisdom from legends, so who do you think said this? Dara Singh? Sushil Kumar? No, it’s Sultan himself. Even before we’ve seen a frame of the film, we’re given a glimpse of his legendariness.
What’s interesting, what keeps the film ticking, is Sultan’s reason for retirement – and this has to do with Aarfa. Anushka Sharma seems to have made a career of playing strong women (or at least, strongly depicted women) in hero-worshipping star vehicles – Sultan is no different. She’s a wrestler too, and her “maleness” is constantly underscored. We find out that her father (the wonderful Kumud Mishra), who runs an akhara, brought her up like a son, and she wants to prove a point about women – especially women from this region. She’s aggressive. She says she’ll knock Sultan’s teeth out if he continues to pursue her. At first, Sultan is your average small-town eve-teaser, who runs a cable-TV business. At a wedding, when he hears Aarfa ask the sound guy to dial up the bass, he launches into the song, Baby ko bass pasand hai – only he means “base,” and he keeps wiggling his bottom to show her what he means. But eventually, Aarfa sees that Sultan is not a creep, merely an innocent. (Could Salman Khan be anything else?) She tells him she doesn’t want to get married because she dreams of winning an Olympic gold. “Let’s be friends,” she says, and begins to hang out with him. But he goes around telling people that she’s his girlfriend. When she finds out, she’s mad. She slaps him, makes him reconsider his life, makes him decide to be a wrestler. Without Aarfa, Sultan would never have found his calling, found fame.
And that’s why the film’s finest stretch centres not on Sultan’s fight, but Aarfa’s. They marry, and for a second I was worried that she’d transform into his cheerleader at international events. But to give the film credit, she doesn’t give up wrestling. She travels the world with him, wins as many medals. But when she becomes pregnant, Sultan begins to resemble a Hindi-heartland version of the stories about career-oriented women in big cities. That line (Wrestling isn’t a sport. It’s about fighting what lies within.) is now hers. It’s now her fight. She has to take a call. She decides to have the baby, knowing what this means to her Olympic-sized dreams. Anushka Sharma is so good (she does brittleness very well), she makes us sense emotions that the script doesn’t spell out: resentment, perhaps even jealousy. This man wouldn’t be here without her… And yet, her dream is dust, while his star keeps rising. This constant reminder of her “femaleness” makes her snap. They split up. And then she faces a different kind of fight. Having made up her mind to avoid him, she has to fight seeing his fights on TV. Her refusal – till the end – to look directly at a TV set telecasting Sultan’s fights is one of Zafar’s sweetest touches.
I wish Aarfa had had a bigger role in the second half as well, when the story zooms in on Sultan’s resurrection and redemption, but even the little we get of her keeps underlining her importance in the scheme of things. There are two great scenes with Sultan and Aarfa, one at a dargah, one at a hospital – I was surprised at how well Zafar modulated the melodrama. Yash Raj has become a specialist in what could be termed the “muted melodrama” (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Jab Tak Hai Jaan) – the emotions roil underneath, but the surface is relatively calm. Even the big masala moments – like Sultan demonstrating his Sultan-ness by pushing a tractor out of a rut on the road – are staged in a surprisingly low-key manner. (We saw this in Bajrangi Bhaijaan as well.) These films are proof that stories never get old as long as the telling feels new. Sultan runs 170 minutes, and I was never bored. Even if the big picture is a giant cliché, a lot of little things are done right. The supporting cast is excellent (Randeep Hooda, as Sultan’s coach, continues where he left off in Do Lafzon Ki Kahani). The fights – at least to an MMA non-fan like me – are excitingly choreographed. And the editing is so smooth that we don’t sense cuts so much as a flow. Even in the stillest of moments, the film seems to be in constant motion.
Like Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Sultan is a gentle, kind film. When the Westernised Akash is put in his place, it’s with the softest rap on the knuckles. (Akash is not a bad guy, just a hotshot a little too set in his aggressive, big-city ways.) And when Sultan gets too big for his boots, his comeuppance is served without a side of thunder and lightning – and with the genial reminder that a girl child is as valuable as a boy. There are, in other words, no real villains – though some may point to the star himself, the kind of person Salman is outside of the screens playing Sultan. As with Sunjay Dutt, I get the feeling that real-life troubles have had a part to play in the actor’s performances. Salman is a graver presence on screen. He projects maturity, even melancholy. He’s terrific in a scene where he appraises his out-of-shape physique and breaks down. I certainly did not anticipate the day I’d be talking about this actor’s acting. It’s a real conundrum. The worse he behaves off-screen, the better his films seem to get.
KEY:
- Bajrangi Bhaijaan = see here
- “saaf dil” = pure heart
- “Jo man mein aata hai, keh deta hoon” = I blurt out whatever comes to mind
- chhora = young man
- “woh kya kehte hain angrezi mein?” = What do they call it in English?
- “khoon tere mitti, mitti tere khoon” = this soil is your blood
- Brothers = see here
- “Jo bhi cheez imported ho, woh tumhe cool lagta hai” = If something’s imported, you think it’s cool.
- Naya Daur = see here
- Dushman = see here
- akhara = see here
- dargah = see here
- Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi = see here
- Jab Tak Hai Jaan = see here
- Do Lafzon Ki Kahani = see here
Copyright ©2016 Baradwaj Rangan. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
sreedharpuliyakote
July 8, 2016
Why did you go to Woody Allen for a comparison when there is our own Dev Anand who did the same when even older than Woody?
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Sudha
July 8, 2016
I have to say that while I don’t mean to minimize the seriousness of the crime, I couldn’t get worked up over Salman Khan’s rape comment. It’s more of a generation thing, I think. We all used to say that – bad exam paper/bad interview – got raped, yaar, got screwed. Yes, it was flip and in today’s PC world, it’s asking for trouble – like saying spaz or retarded. I don’t think he was intended to be demeaning to women though. Nor was Aamir Khan, (who being savvier, quickly corrected himself) being demeaning to waiters when he said he was like one when Stars like Salman/ Shahrukh were around. He meant (I think he meant, and if so, he should have said so) that waiters tend to become invisible, fade into the background, not that they are a lower class. The NCW who objected to Salman had no problem taking selfies with a rape victim, an act that was far more gratuitously insulting.
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Rishikesh
July 8, 2016
The movie although forumlaic was done with conviction. But length definitely bothered me and do you have an opinion that makers played safe with the kid’s death instead of Anushka’s. In the starting scene at the Dargah..where Anushka walks past Salman..I got a feel that she was not physically there and Salman was imagining it up. Also both of them continuing to pile up trophies at will, seemed a bit too silly even by commercial standards. But the cheesiness was diluted by the manner in which the scenes were portrayed on screen. You see more of Sultan’s character.His unfamilarity with the foreign world and him struggling to cope up with the culture between all those match-winning.
My favourite Salman film is still, Heroes, this and Bhajrangi although better did not rise above a certain at least for me
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rajrrs
July 8, 2016
The worse he behaves off-screen, the better his films seem to get…lol. Too good and very much true.
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sanjana
July 8, 2016
It is not one comment but the history he is having. And not able to say a simple sorry and put an end to it.
“The worse he behaves off-screen, the better his films seem to get.”
Yes, he should get more bad so that he will make more better films and get praised by you. That too effusive praise.
Next what? Brand Ambassador of India and Bharat Ratna?
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Anu Warrier
July 8, 2016
I agree with Sudha. Surprising since I was arguing about film makers and film stars needing to be more responsible, only a day ago.
I see where Salman’s coming from, and something he said immediately after the ‘raped’ comment – ‘I think I shouldn’t have said that‘ is deliberately left out of subsequent stories which quoted him. The problem is that every single sound byte is today flashed over and over and over again. Was it thoughtless? Of course it was. But if we were to be hung for every stupid thing that come out of our mouths, I wager 90% of us would be dead now. (Now that would solve the world’s overpopulation.)
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ramitbajaj01
July 8, 2016
What a review sir! You totally sold it.
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Rama
July 8, 2016
Dev Anand didn’t romance, take nude snaps of, and marry his lover’s adopted daughter when she (the daughter) was 20 and he was 56, did he?
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venkatesh
July 8, 2016
Well its Bhai …. all is maaf for him.
I for one, cannot think of Salman getting any better than in Andaz Apna Apna.
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Tambi Dude
July 8, 2016
The songs are top notch. Never knew Vishal Shekhar are capable.
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Kamalrasigan
July 8, 2016
I’ll just leave this here http://www.filmcomment.com/blog/kaiju-shakedown-kamal-haasan/
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Vighnesh Hampapura
July 8, 2016
@Anu Warrier, last line, LOL!
And someone call other critics of all newspapers in India and tell them to read this review. This is how it must be written 🙂
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nrh
July 9, 2016
as a new yorker who loves indian films and thinks grady hendrix is generally a force for good, especially in bringing (certain kinds of) east asian film to the city (his last piece, on sammo hung’s choreography, is terrific), this really pains me to read. new york, in many ways a marvel of a city to live in for anyone who loves film, is horribly ignorant about indian film, at least as far as programmers of our major rep cinemas go (and we have a lot).
richard pena, who moderated the mani ratnam talks last year, is an eloquent lover of indian film, but he doesn’t program anymore and the absence is dearly felt. for a city as diverse as ours the lack is sad and unseemly.
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Utkal
July 9, 2016
“I certainly did not anticipate the day I’d be talking about this actor’s acting.” That really is your blid spot. Salman gaveva wonderfully understated perfotmance way bavck in Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. He revealed his spontaneous comic timing in a classic like Andaz Apna Aona, playong the perect goofy foil to Aamir’s smartalec persona. He has been gving decent perfprmances all along, the last being his lovable Bajrangi Bhaiijaan.
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Madan
July 9, 2016
“The worse he behaves off-screen, the better his films seem to get.”
That’s really too bad as I cannot bear to watch him anymore in light of all the baggage. But I agree with Utkal, Salman has been competent for a long time in his films. It just always used to give me a snake oil salesman vibe and so I never warmed up to him but his acting never looked bad per se.
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rohitsathishnair
July 9, 2016
I don’t really know how good or how bad Salman the actor is, but I have always felt that his voice isn’t the best thing about him. Well at least, it sticks out like a sore thumb in some of his worst performances, say God Tussi Great Ho.
Even when compared to Aamir, whose voice isn’t his USP, Salman doesn’t fare well
PS(out of topic): Sir, will we have a music review of Mohenjo-Daro?
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
July 9, 2016
BR : I havent watched a Hindi flick in ages but now you’ve got me interested….
https://thezolazone.wordpress.com/2016/07/09/cartoon-75-wifi/
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Rahul
July 9, 2016
Salman was better than Aamir in Andaz Apna Apna and was better than Shah Rukh in Karan Arjun. Off late though, his tendency to keep on playing himself is rather annoying , but then its working for him and I don’t think he is going to change that formula.
Problem with SRK is that he can no longer pull off his DDLJ persona (Jab Tak Hai Jaan was 4 years ago) and I think he is trying a wider range of roles not because he wants to experiment but because he has no other option.
That said, the Khans are doing better than Amitabh when he was as old – this was his phase of duds like Ajooba, Akayla, Indrajeet, Toofan, Jadoogar etc. before he transitioned into character roles after Hum and Agneepath.
It will be interesting to see what the Khans do after a few years , when its time to say goodbye to the traditional leading man roles. There are more options for a super star character actor today than 20 to 30 years ago, I guess.
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Rama Krishnan
July 9, 2016
Its amazing that there are people who would like to call this a sports film. Lets leave Dangal to do justice to Wrestling. This film made me want to revisit Chak de all over again – Shimit Amin is THE REAL DEAL. Coming to Sultan, besides Vishal Shekar’s music, Anand Sharma’s spontaneous act as Sultan’s side kick and Anushka Sharma’s terrific performance in a potentially fantastic role reduced to a rubble in a Sallu showcase, there was nothing to salvage the film for me.
Incidentally, I watched the movie first day in a single screen as I usually do for Bhai’s Eid releases (except that it actually came out a day earlier and the hall didnt have the usual “fan”atics) but even with all the Sallu fans, the movie didnt go down well. It was a relief to actually hear people fondly remember Bhajrangi Bhaijaan. Clearly, audiences both mass and class are starting to distinguish between a perfectly executed potboiler and a pretender.
I was half-hoping for a savage rip but then, every critic is allowed his eccentricities so will mark this down as your Bollywood Kadal moment and move on 🙂
Eagerly awaiting your review (bullet point will also do) on Brahman Naman
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gm
July 9, 2016
hmm makes we want to see the movie despite the length! btw check out tere naam, the first movie where i was impressed by his acting . he was the first star who made movies aimed at the small towns /b centers. infact would love to see your review of tere naam.
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sanjana
July 9, 2016
“has masand ever given low stars to any salman movie. for tht matter any bollywood critic ever gave correct feedback to salman movies? the only qstn i have is are thy afraid of someone or get paid. time will reveal. for me, i cant watch his movies after flling prey to so many fake reviews.”
One of the irate readers commented after reading masand’s review.
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Utkal
July 9, 2016
Just back from ‘Sultan’. Slept through the entire second half. Had gone in with a slight headache…came back with one that was much worse. It started off well enough. Very rooted and lively. The romance between Salman and Anushka was well written and performed. After some dull portions, the plot turn just before the interval was handled well. But after that it was dull, plodding and predictable storytelling all the way till the end. Imagine, showing three MMA matches back to back, with no new detailing! So boring and unimaginative. It was all so somber and serious, trying so hard to look like serious drama. I am so de-energized can’t muster the strength to write anything more. Give me ‘Kick’ any day!
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Altman
July 10, 2016
Nice burn on 90’s Woody Allen films. There is a dialogue in Bullets Over Broadway(1994) where a writer observes “Guilt is petit-bourgeois crap. An artist creates his own moral universe.” It’s interesting to note that this was released right after the Mia Farrow controversy broke out and became a national sensation. This line sounds more like a self-rationalization on his part than a valid justification for his actions. However, this controversy pales in comparison to the recent horrific allegations against him.
I’m surprised to see you haven’t mentioned anything about the Haryanvi accent in Sultan. Aamir Khan and Kangana Ranaut pulled it off effortlessly, whereas Salman and Anushka have struggled a lot with it here, Salman especially. It seemed forced and the actors except Anand Sharma, were conscious of every syllable they utter. It was jarring the otherwise fine performances IMO. They could have opted for a neutral accent. Dialogues were terrific though. The hall erupted for “Don’t teach daddy, how to make babies.”
It was a smart choice by the director not to show Aarfa or other women donning Burqa, performing namaaz, or such cliches usually associated with Muslim women on movies. There were the dargah portions, yeah but it served the narrative rather than appearing as a mere place of worship. Irshad Kamil is rather bold in using the word ‘Allah’ in lyrics (uppar Allah niche dharti) rather than Khuda or Rabbah as it’s done usually. Salman was grave-looking even in the early funny portions because it was a physically excruciating role to play, and he is 50 years old?
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brangan
July 10, 2016
Madan: Salman has been competent for a long time in his films.
“Competent” is a good word, but it’s not the word you’d use for a “good” actor. IMO, Salman has always been a very good comedian, and that’s part of being a good actor too. But his dramatic turns have always left me cold, and it’s only recently that that side of his acting has begun to impress me. Hence the comment.
Either consciously or unconsciously, he has slowed down his dialogue delivery post-Saawariya. (Maybe SLB had something to do with this.) He has begun to pay attention to the phrasing, the pauses. Plus, he has aged, and that too is showing in his performances. All of which makes it easier to buy his recent dramatic turns, rather than the one in, say, Tere Naam.
Altman: I’m surprised to see you haven’t mentioned anything about the Haryanvi accent in Sultan.
Because I am no expert and to my ears, it all sounded “hinterland-ish,” which is Haryanvi enough for me 🙂
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Madan
July 10, 2016
brangan: Oh, if you are saying he is acting WELL now and not just, you know, better than expected, that is a different deal indeed.
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Utkal
July 10, 2016
It is true I almost slept through the second half of Sultan and overall the film left me cold. But funnily enough there isn’t anything specifically negative in the film that I can point out.
I read somewhere a rebview which asks the question, ”Why doesn’t Aarfa try to win the Olympic medal instead of teaching wrestling to children?” How naïve! People who buy this have no idea what losing a baby means to a mother. She is grieving deeply and dos not have the motivation to aim for something as demanding as the Olympics. If it was as simple as that she could have had an abortion and prepare for the Olympics. She didn’t even consider that option.
No you cannot fault the psychological motivation of the principal characters leading to crucial actions in the film. In fact some of them are written and performed with a lot of subtlety. Take the whole sequence leading to Aarfa losing her baby and her turning Sultan away. When he is planning to take part in the World Wrestling Championship, she does not explicitly stop him. But she wants to show her some consideration. After all she did not bat an eyelid or show any signs of regret while giving up her Olympics dreams for the sake of their baby. It is just a chance that the baby had a blood type of O negative and he needed it. It adds to her resentment against him and the guilt that Sultan feels about the whole episode. Mind you, even now she does not blame him. She just says she cannot help feel a wall between them now. The writing here is first class. The melodrama is toned down by Aarfa’s semi-sarcastic monologue: “Like you he had the O negative blood type. Like you he was rare. But he was not strong like you. He needed a little more blood in his body..etc etc.” This one really brought tears to my eyes.
In fact the writing was consistently witty, with a lightness of touch. After Sultan has chased the four akhada boys down as a test of his fitness, instead of heavy praise, you get the line, “Today I am convinced man indeed evolved from the monkey”. There are some hilarious one-liners too, none more explosive than “ Angrezi mein bataate hain. Don’t teach your father how to make babies.” The line has half the hall in splits because the young among them know the more authentic version: Don’t teach your father how to f***.
The other positive of the film were the songs. On seeing the trailer, I had made up mind to stay away from the film mainly because of the two songs ‘ Baby Ko Bass Pasand Hai’ and ‘ 44 Volt’. But I ended up enjoying Baby Ko Bass Pasand Hai hugely. It was set up nicely with Aarfa asking the sound guy to add some more bass. And then both Salman and Anuska rocked the floor with their energetic and playful dance moves. The ‘440 Volt’ song was placed more intrusively. But fortunately they cut to scenes of Sultan preparing for the wrestling match during most of the stanzas. “ Jag Ghumeya’ was of course a beauty by Vishal-Sekhar and was used very aptly.
Which bring s me to strongest positive of the film – the performances. It was an excellent supporting cast – Aaarfa’s father, Sultans friend Govinda, the organizer of the MMA tournament, etc. Anushka is among our most consummate actresses at the moment. And if it is a north Indian character she is playing she can nail it perfection. Even though she looks a tad skinny for a Haryanvi wrestler, she takes your mind off the fact with her superlative performance. Salman Khan needs to be applauded for the way he has played Sultan Ali Khan. In his portrayal Sultan is an organic whole, and not just sum of a few good scenes. He stays in character throughout, making every action pf his appear spontaneous and credible. His Haryanvi accent? How authentic it is? Frankly I don’t care. Not only here, but in any film. If the actor can carry off the lines and manage to make it appear natural that is what I care about. And Salman does that. He had already shown how well he can play a golden-hearted son of the soil in Bajarangi Bhaijaan. What he adds to that here is a touch of gravitas and maturity. He brings out the psychological condition of Sultan after they had lost their baby is spot on. There is grief, there is guilt, and there is a man who has lost a lot in his life. His body language and slow speech reflects this loser to perfection. He does not shed this lumbering slowness even when he starts preparing for the MMA tournament. He is seeking redemption. But what is lost is lost, never to be got back. This feeling of loss will remain with him even after he has won the MMA tournament, raised money for the blood bank, got back Aarfa and even has had one more child. The old exuberance can never come back. Salman does this brilliantly.
(So as I said I have hardly anything negative to say about the film and so many positives to dwell on. In spite of that the second half of the films was totally unengaging for me. And the whole storytelling kind of left me cold. On the other hand, there have been films with obvious script inconsistencies and other negative, and yet have gripped me with something powerful at the core. That’s the way it goes.)
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Senthil
July 10, 2016
Lets face it, if this movie was made in Kollywood with Ajith or Vijay, you would have lambasted it as a run of the mill masala flick and criticised Kollywood for not thinking beyond proven commercial formulas.
Since it is bollywood, you lavish your praise for what is clearly for a below average movie once again exposing the cultural cringe that is so prevalent in your reviews.
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brangan
July 10, 2016
Senthil: ROFL. This movie — at least in this form, and with this level of finesse — would NEVER be made in Kollywood today. The only exception that comes to mind is Yennai Arindhaal, and I did write good things about it.
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Jaga_Jaga
July 10, 2016
@Senthil: Not coming to defend Brangan. But I don’t think he disagrees that this is a masala movie. But there is a whole difference between a well made masala movie, and a crappy one. Eg. Vijay’s Gilli vs Kuruvi. Both are of course masala movies, the former adding a delicious flavor to your meal, while the latter resulting in constipation of the worst kind.
So nothing wrong in a movie being a masala movie. Is it at least true to the genre it wants to be?? That is the question, and IMO Sultan very well does it. And so has Brangan got it spot-on in this review.
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brangan
July 10, 2016
Jaga_Jaga: To add to your point, just because there’s a big ‘mass’ star, it doesn’t automatically become comparable to an Ajith/Vijay masala vehicle (again, with the exception of Yennai Arindhaal, which had a memorable heroine, etc.). The Tamil/Telugu masalas are very, very different in tone/flavour from this film. Plus I doubt Tamil audiences would sit through big-star movie that’s so character driven. They seem to prefer films that are event-driven.
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Deepak Jeswal
July 11, 2016
The correct line would be ‘khoon mein teri mitti, mitti mein tera khoon’. The word ‘mein’ is missing.
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Amit Upadhyaya
July 11, 2016
I’m no Bhai fan. Of late, I’ve mostly disliked Hindi films, especially the ‘masala’ kind.
But Sultan evoked the Salim-Javed brand of cinema for me. Where relationships and emotions matter more in the storytelling than ‘logic’. There is little chance of someone winning an Olympic gold without toiling for it lifelong but I bought into it because what is love if it cannot create a wrestler in a month?
The entire film has that mythic quality about its drama. Whether it’s the ‘pehelwani chodi hai, ladna nahi bhoola’ bit or the interval scene where a wife denounces her relationship because she lost her child.
The screenplay, which is characteristically lengthy, works (even structurally) because the conflict is rooted in the Indian myth. Family is what you’re about. Little space for aham (ego).
Just in line with the best of mainstream we’ve seen over the years.
And to see all of this happening in a film brimming with so many off-key moments, like the split second shot of a burka-clad women with a child dressed as Krishna, was more than satisfying.
Nobody would’ve hated Gunday more than me but this time Ali Abbas Zafar has nailed the tonality of what a mainstream Hindi film is. And then to see those 30 seconds of a bruised and battered Sultan fighting his best self–awe-inspiring.
A three-hour long film in these days is a big burden which I’m unwilling to take (mostly) but Sultan reminded me that it’s not about the number of reels.
Went in expecting another “socially-conscious Bhai film”, came out feeling rejuvenated about the future of Hindi mainstream. Every moment worked. Every beat worked.
Have since been listening to the delightful line by Irshad Kamil:
‘Khoon mein tere mitti, mitti me tera khoon’
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Shantesh Row
July 13, 2016
The guys selling cookers are called Kukreja. That really floated my boat. And the fact that young Mr Kukreja was named Tiny. The rest just felt like Bajrangi Bhaijaan walked into a Rocky set followed by a traipse into Mithun’s Boxer.
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Abdul Sami Qahar
July 17, 2016
It would have been a very interesting ending had he not gone for the final fight. his fight was over. he had proven himself, his wife was back and he had enough money for the blood bank. if at that point he had withdrawn from the last fight, it would have been an ending worth remembering, albeit, less heroic. nonetheless, you dont expect that kind of ending from an indian film.
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tonks
August 19, 2016
“Sakshi Malik is what happens if you don’t end up marrying Sultan”
Overheard on Twitter
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pankaj1905
October 19, 2016
Finally managed to catch it, and as usual came to your review, and again learnt something so new. Thank you for this 🙂 Regarding Aarfa’s maleness, here in Sultan, there is a scene where she drives Sultan’s bike with him riding pillion. I was reminded that you had said the same in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’s review, about the emasculation of hero (SRK). In that film, Taani drives a Raj’s motorcycle to fight the the couple; here it is not emasculation, but the film does underscore her maleness.
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sahiravik
October 20, 2016
I did watch this film, but I watched it a little late. So I went in knowing (SPOILER) that Aarfa was going to pick the kid over her career and then lose the kid. I watched an interview with Anushka Sharma in which she was asked how she responded to everyone screaming that it was so sexist and misogynistic that she should choose the child, that she should call Sultan her ‘gold’, that she should just give up everything she grew up dreaming of. I do agree that perhaps Sultan might have been shown expressing some concern about this situation. But I feel that it is a choice that she has to make and she makes it. Besides, as Anushka herself said, it’s a child. It isn’t a trivial hindrance. If you’re pregnant, it’s a big thing. Also, I completely disagree with people who say that her father ‘blamed’ her for the pregnancy. No! He expressed concern and was saddened that she’d have to give up her career. But he does learn to respect her choice.
Besides, it was wonderful that they showed Sultan (read angelic Salman) so flawed; he is also able to realise and admit the error of his ways – his (over)confidence cost him not just his child, but his wife as well.
Anyway, thanks for this review. I’m glad you enjoyed the film. 🙂
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