Sultan is like meeting your long old friend. You feel enthusiastic and look forward to meeting him. You smile at his personality and charisma because you know he is funny and when you finally see him, you can’t help but rejoice because you know that it’s going to be a memorable rendezvous. I was going through this exact feeling as I entered the cinema hall with youngsters hurrying their way in, not wanting to miss a glimpse of the opening credits.
The lights dimmed and the movie started. Not being a fan of Salman Khan, I believed that this movie was just made for his fans who found his mindless cinemas entertaining and nothing short of what they call a paisa vasool movie. But, I was wrong. The movie captures the audience right from the beginning and post-interval, it becomes unintentionally nostalgic! With people in the hall literally going Sultan Sultan (singing along the chorus of the title song) and tapping their feet to the catchy tunes of Baby ko base pasand hai,you inadvertently get dragged into the world of wrestling, inter-personal conflicts and not to forget a bliss of romance!
Bhai is Sultan Ali Khan, a 30 something care-free individual who whiles away time by hanging out with his friends, with no serious goal in life. He is smitten by Aarfa (Anushka Sharma) a dedicated wrestling champion whose purpose in life is to make her father proud by winning the gold medal at the Olympics. What kicks off as a one-sided love transforms into a competitive atmosphere consisting of a mixture of elements ranging from broken bones, hard core training ( which I am sure will urge everyone to trash their junk) to sentimental dialogues like mitti mein tera khoon and a persistent journey of a man to win back his spouse’s love.
Salman Khan is simply amazing. As the movie unfolds, you admire his hard work and his quirky Haryanvi accent. He will leave you in awe! A scene where he talks about SRK’s romantic tactics is a delight to watch. Anushka Sharma is believable and is the backbone of this film. She is daring, genuine and absolutely stupendous. She leaves you in awe especially in a scene where she talks about breaking stereotypes and the importance having a divergent approach. When was the last time we saw a powerful character in a Salman Khan film? Anushka Sharma gives a heart-warming performance and we hardly get to see this in Bhai’s films.
So what are you waiting for? Forget your phones, turn off your tabs and get ready to immerse yourself in Bhai’s world. This is something that you don’t want to miss. Bhai fans or not, this movie will prove to be a magnificent experience and was for me, a treat to watch.
