Sultan is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language sports drama film[3][4] written and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films. The film stars Salman Khan in the titular role and Anushka Sharma, along with Amit Sadh and Randeep Hooda. It narrates the story of Sultan Ali Khan, a fictional pehlwani wrestler and former world wrestling champion from Haryana whose successful career has created a rift in his personal life.[5]
| Sultan | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ali Abbas Zafar |
| Written by | Ali Abbas Zafar |
| Produced by | Aditya Chopra |
| Starring | Salman Khan Anushka Sharma Randeep Hooda Amit Sadh |
| Cinematography | Artur Zurawski |
| Edited by | Rameshwar S. Bhagat |
| Music by | Score: Julius Packiam Music: Vishal–Shekhar |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Yash Raj Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 170 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹90 crore[1] |
| Box office | est. ₹623.33 crore[2] |
Principal photography began in October 2015. The film's soundtrack is composed by Vishal-Shekhar with Julius Packiam providing the score. It was released worldwide on 6 July 2016, coinciding with Eid. The film received highly positive reviews from critics, who hailed Khan's performance and Zafar's direction. Made on a budget of ₹90 crore ($13 million), it grossed ₹623.33 crore ($93 million) worldwide,[2] becoming the ninth highest-grossing Hindi film of all-time.
Plot
Sultan Ali Khan, a middle-aged former wrestling champion, lives a lonely life in the town of Rewari, Haryana. Aakash Oberoi, the founder of Pro Takedown, a private mixed martial arts league, funded by Mr. Patel, is encouraged by his father to recruit Sultan to salvage its popularity. After travelling to Haryana, he offers to recruit Sultan, who bluntly refuses because of his retirement from wrestling. Aakash asks Sultan's close friend Govind, who narrates how Sultan's career begun.
Sultan fell in love with Aarfa Hussain, a state-level wrestler and daughter of a local wrestling coach. She initially dislikes him, but later accepts him as a friend. When he confesses his love to her, she insults him, and tells him that she would only marry a well-trained wrestler. Determined to win her respect, Sultan dedicates himself to intense training and ultimately wins a state-level wrestling tournament, and Aarfa. They eventually get married and become famous wrestlers, representing India in various international games.
When they are both selected to compete at the Olympics, Aarfa discovers that she's pregnant. She gives up her childhood dream of winning a gold medal for India, which Sultan fulfills. To her surprise, Sultan's fame causes him to be arrogant, and he slaps a reporter at an event. He also leaves Aarfa, who is nearing her due date, to win a gold medal in Turkey. Upon his return, he learns that his newborn son had died due to severe anaemia. His son had a rare O-blood type, identical to Sultan's, depriving the child of a donor. Angered, Aarfa leaves Sultan to live with her father. Devastated, Sultan decides to raise funds to open a blood bank in his son's name.
In the present, Aakash promises Sultan that the tournament's prize money will go towards fulfilling his dream of opening a blood bank. Sultan agrees to participate and travels to Delhi, where Aakash introduces him to coach Fateh Singh, who initially refuses to train him but agrees after seeing his determination. After 2 months of intense training, Sultan is able to regain his physique and learns freestyle wrestling. In his first fight, Sultan defeats the opponent using capoeira. He soon becomes a nationwide sensation after winning a series of matches and gains Aarfa's support in the process.
In the semi-final round, Sultan wins the fight but is severely injured and is hospitalised. The doctor informs Aakash that if Sultan continues fighting, his injuries would become fatal. Aarfa arrives at the hospital and motivates him to continue fighting. In the final round, Sultan overcomes his pain to defeat his opponent and ultimately wins the tournament. Reunited with his wife, Sultan opens a blood bank using the prize money, and Aarfa resumes wrestling. A few years later, she gives birth to a baby girl, whom Sultan begins to train as a wrestler.
Cast
- Salman Khan as Sultan Ali Khan
- Anushka Sharma as Aarfa Ali Khan, Sultan's wife
- Randeep Hooda as Fateh Singh, Sultan's coach and a former MMA champion
- Amit Sadh as Aakash Oberoi, Founder of Pro Takedown and Sultan's presenter
- Kumud Mishra as Barkat Hussain, Aarfa's father
- Anant Vidhaat Sharma as Govind, Sultan's friend
- Parikshit Sahni as Gyan Singh Oberoi, Aakash's father
- Ivan Sylvester Rodrigues as Mr. Patel (Aakash's senior)
- Tyron Woodley as Himself (Pro Takedown Fighter)
- Marko Zaror as Himself (Pro Takedown Fighter)
- Marrese Crump as Himself (Pro Takedown Fighter)
- Ron Smoorenburg as Himself (Pro Takedown Fighter)
- Sumeet Samnaj as Tiny Kukreja, Sultan's sponsor
- Suzie Khan as Sultan and Aarfa's daughter[6]
- Karmveer Choudhary as Haryana Government Sports Officer
- Meiyang Chang as Himself (Commentator)
- Kubbra Sait as Herself (Commentator)
- Shibani Dandekar as Herself (Pro Takedown Host)
- Anjana Om Kashyap as Herself (News Anchor)
Production
Development
The project was earlier announced in June 2015 with a teaser released on YouTube.[7] Khan will be seen portraying a Haryana-based wrestler in the film.[8][9] To prepare for the film, Khan underwent wrestling training under the guidance of Larnell Stovall.[10][11][12]
Casting
In October 2015, there were reports of American actor Sylvester Stallone being cast in the film as Khan's on-screen coach.[13] However, Raja Mukerji, the Executive Producer of the film cleared that Stallone would not be starring in the film.[14] Later, Sanjay Dutt was then rumoured to play the role of coach according to Khan's insistence.[15] However, Khan later reported that he never insisted Aditya Chopra for Dutt's role.[citation needed]
In December 2015, Randeep Hooda was later signed to play the role of Khan's coach in the film.[16][17] Amit Sadh of Kai Po Che! fame was reportedly signed for the role of young Sultan.[citation needed] However, in March 2016, he confirmed that he is playing the role of Khan's younger brother.[18] MMA fighter Tyron Woodley has been signed opposite Khan with other fighters in the film.[citation needed]
The role of Aarfa Ali Khan was offered to Deepika Padukone but she turned it down.[citation needed] The role was then offered to Kangana Ranaut who also turned it down.[19] In January 2016, Anushka Sharma was signed to play the female lead role opposite Khan.[20] For her role as a wrestler, Sharma took wrestling lessons for the film.[21][22] In February 2016, Bosco-Caesar were signed as the choreographers of the film, replacing Vaibhavi Merchant who left the film due to personal commitments.
Filming
Pre-production of the film started in October 2015 where Khan posted a photo of his character in the film on Facebook.[23] Principal photography of the film started in December 2015 at ND Studios, Karjat[24][25] and JW Marriott Mumbai, where the film's first schedule was filmed.[26] Filming of the first schedule had been completed in late December 2015.[27][28] Filming of the second schedule was started in January 2016 where Khan filmed for action sequences.[29][30] A song was filmed in early March 2016, choreographed by Farah Khan.[31] An action sequence between Khan and Sharma was reportedly filmed.[32] Some of the sequence of the movie will feature 360-year-old Jama Masjid of Delhi.[33] In late April 2016 the lead actor Salman Khan was seen riding a scooter as a part of shooting in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.[34]
Music
| Sultan | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 31 May 2016 | |||
| Recorded | 2016 | |||
| Studio | YRF Studios, Mumbai | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 1:00:57 | |||
| Language | Hindi | |||
| Label | YRF Music | |||
| Producer | Aditya Chopra | |||
| Vishal–Shekhar chronology | ||||
| ||||
The music for Sultan is composed by Vishal–Shekhar while the lyrics are penned by Irshad Kamil. The soundtrack album was released on 31 May 2016.[35] The album features fourteen songs, with nine of them were included with the original soundtrack. On 6 June 2016, four songs sung by Salman Khan were released after the release of the original soundtrack. The bonus track "Raula Paye Gaya," which was sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was released on 30 June 2016.
All lyrics are written by Irshad Kamil; all music is composed by Vishal–Shekhar
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Baby Ko Bass Pasand Hai" | Vishal Dadlani, Shalmali Kholgade, Ishita, Badshah | 4:13 |
| 2. | "Jag Ghoomeya" (Male) | Rahat Fateh Ali Khan | 4:42 |
| 3. | "440 Volt" | Mika Singh | 4:28 |
| 4. | "Sultan" (Title Track) | Sukhwinder Singh, Shadab Faridi | 4:40 |
| 5. | "Sachi Muchi" | Mohit Chauhan, Harshdeep Kaur | 3:59 |
| 6. | "Bulleya" | Papon | 5:57 |
| 7. | "Tuk Tuk" | Nooran Sisters, Vishal Dadlani | 4:12 |
| 8. | "Jag Ghoomeya" (Female) | Neha Bhasin | 4:14 |
| 9. | "Rise of Sultan" | Shekhar Ravjiani | 2:46 |
| 10. | "Raula Paye Gaya – The Official Sultan Salute" | Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, 6 Pack Band | 3:31 |
| 11. | "Baby Nu Bass Pasand Hai" (Salman Khan Version) | Salman Khan, Iulia Vantur | 4:16 |
| 12. | "Jag Ghoomeya" (Salman Khan Version) | Salman Khan | 4:49 |
| 13. | "440 Volt" (Salman Khan Version) | Salman Khan | 4:28 |
| 14. | "Sultan" (Salman Khan Version) | Salman Khan | 4:42 |
| Total length: | 1:00:57 | ||
Box office
Worldwide
The film grossed approx ₹206 crore from its first 3 days, becoming the first Indian film to do so.[36] It grossed around ₹328 crore from its extended 5-day opening weekend.[citation needed] As of 3 August 2016[update], the movie grossed ₹416 crore in India and $24 million overseas,[37] becoming the fourth-highest-grossing Indian film of all time.[37] The film's worldwide gross was ₹589.25 crore prior to its China release,[38] including ₹421.25 crore in India[39] and ₹168 crore overseas.[40] As of 9 September 2018[update], following its China release, the film has grossed ₹623.33 crore ($93 million) worldwide.[2]
India
Sultan created a new record for advance bookings.[41] On its day of release, Sultan received an average of 70% audience occupancy[42] and netted approximately ₹36.54 crore.[citation needed] By the end of its second week, the film had netted an estimated ₹278 crore.[43] Its final domestic gross was ₹421.25 crore.[39]
Overseas
By 24 July 2016, the film had collected an estimated ₹39.69 crore in the United States and Canada, ₹52.94 crore in United Arab Emirates and Gulf Cooperation Council, ₹14.07 crore in United Kingdom, ₹6.65 crore in Australia, ₹30 crore in Pakistan, and ₹30 crore from other territories.[citation needed] In the United Kingdom, it opened with over £1 million and went on to gross £1.8 million by the end of the year, making it the UK's second highest-grossing foreign-language film of 2016 (below Dangal).[44] As of 17 July 2016[update], the film had collected ₹2.93 crore in New Zealand and ₹1.09 crore in Malaysia.[citation needed] As of 10 July 2016[update], the film had earned ₹33 lakh in Germany.[citation needed]
Sultan's total overseas gross at the end of the third weekend stood at approximately $22.57 million (₹151.2 crore).[45] By 3 August 2016, Sultan had made $24.2 million (₹161 crore) overseas gross, making it the sixth-highest-grossing Indian film in overseas markets.[37] Its overseas gross was ₹180 crore prior to its China release.[40][citation needed]
In China, where the film released on 31 August 2018, the film grossed US$5.4 million as of 16 September 2018.[46] The film peaked at number seven on the weekly China box office chart, during the week ending 9 September 2018.[47] As of 9 September 2018[update], the film has grossed $29.82 million overseas.[2]
Critical Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 69% of 16 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10.[48] The film received positive reviews from critics.[49]
Bollywood Hungama rated the film 4.5/5.[50] Srijana Mitra Das of The Times of India gave the film 4/5 stars.[51] Rajeev Masand of CNN-News18 rated the film 3.5/5.[52] Anupma Chopra of Hindustan Times rated the film 3/5. Similarly, Rohit Vats of Hindustan Times too, rated the film 3/5.[53] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated the 3/5[54] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express also rated the film 3/5 stars.[55]
Game
An official game based on this film has been released by 99Games for Android mobile phones.[56]
Piracy
On 6 July 2016, the film's digital copy was reported to be available in the darknet. Confirming that the copy was created from the sample sent by the producers to the CBFC board for review, cyber crime experts investigating the leak said, "The leak is confirmed. The copy of the movie is available on the darknet, and soon it will be available on torrent."[57] However, Yash Raj Films, the film's producer, denied such development. Kislay Chaudhary, a private investigator, claimed that the links of the 2-hour-36-minute-long movie were available, and shared the screenshot of the same with Mail Today. "Many websites have been blocked since Tuesday evening, and links were removed immediately," he added.[58]
Awards and nominations
Notes
References
- ^ "Sultan is the highest opener of 2016 with Rs 36.54 crore". Hindustan Times. 7 July 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Salman Khan's Sultan rakes in $5 million in 11 days in China, surpassing Padmaavat's overseas earnings". Firstpost. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ^ "Sultan: Salman's 'Raging Bull' act is a blockbuster". Business Standard. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- ^ "Sultan review by Anupama Chopra: This is an over-sized Salman slam". Hindustan Times. 7 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- ^ "Salman Khan's 'Sultan': Plot revealed". The Times Group. Times of India. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
- ^ Iyer, Sanyukta (28 January 2017). "Meet Salman Khan's daughter in 'Sultan'". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ Dhriti, Sharma (23 June 2015). "Check out: Salman Khan ready to battle it out in 'Sultan' teaser!". Zee News. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ "Salman Khan to play a wrestler in YRF's Sultan". Bollywood Hungama. 23 June 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ Apoorva, Nijhara (9 October 2015). "Revealed: Salman Khan's rough and tough look in Sultan". India Today. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ Sunita, Pacheco (29 September 2015). "Salman Khan starts training for 'Sultan', trends on Twitter". The Indian Express. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ Gaurav, Dubey (9 October 2015). "Salman Khan's trainer for 'Sultan' staying at his Panvel farmhouse". Mid-Day. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ Kiran Kaur. "'Sultan' poster: Salman Khan will floor you with his killer intensity". The Times Of India. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- ^ "Sylvester Stallone to star in Salman Khan's 'Sultan'?". Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Zee News. 18 October 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ Sonup, Sahadevan (27 October 2015). "Sylvester Stallone is not in Salman Khan's Sultan, confirms film's executive producer Raja Mukerji". The Indian Express. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ "Sanjay Dutt to play Salman Khan's coach in 'Sultan'?". DNA desk. DNA India. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ "Sultan: This is when Salman Khan will announce the lead female actor". India Today Network. India Today. 13 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
- ^ "Randeep Hooda: Lesser known facts (Slideshow)". The Times Group. Times of India. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
- ^ "Amit Sadh confirms he's playing Salman's younger brother in Sultan". Bollywood Hungama. 11 March 2016. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
- ^ "Kangana Ranaut recalls what Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar said after she rejected their movies: 'You have a problem with me'". www.hindustantimes.com. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ Indo-Asian News Service (9 January 2016). "Confirmed: Anushka Sharma to star opposite Salman Khan in 'Sultan'". TV18. IBNLive. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
- ^ "Sultan: Anushka Sharma's 'dhobi-pachad' video shows why she's perfect for the role!". DNA Desk. DNA India. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
- ^ "Salman Khan flexes muscles in Sultan". Indian Express Group. The Indian Express. February 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
- ^ Sunita, Pacheco (10 October 2015). "Salman Khan sports handlebar moustache for 'Sultan'; First look revealed". The Indian Express. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ "Salman Khan shoots for 'Sultan' in Karjat". DC Team. Deccan Chronicle. 6 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ "Salman Khan's Sultan Goes on Floors Without its Lead Actress". NDTV News Network. NDTV. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ Prachi, Kadam (7 December 2015). "Salman Takes Sultan To Juhu From Karjat". 9X Media. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ "Salman Khan to begin the second schedule of Sultan with fighting sequences from December 18!". Prlay Team. prlay.com. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
- ^ IANS (22 December 2015). "First schedule of Salman Khan's 'Sultan' wrapped up". The Indian Express. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ Subhash K. Jha (6 January 2016). "Salman resumes shooting for Sultan". Webdesk. The Asian Age. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
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- ^ Indo-Asian News Service (10 March 2016). "'Sultan' director Ali Abbas Zafar finishes shooting second song for film". Indian Express Group. The Indian Express. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Salman Khan, Anushka Sharma take on a big fight on Sultan sets". Indian Express Group. The Indian Express. 17 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Ali Abbas Zafar shoots Salman Khan starrer 'Sultan' at Jama Masjid". The Indian Express. 19 April 2016.
- ^ "Salman Khan rides in Muzaffarnagar while people watch, see pic". The Indian Express. 22 April 2016.
- ^ "Sultan (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Vishal-Shekhar on iTunes". iTunes Store. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
- ^ "HISTORIC – Sultan Tops 200 Crore Smashes Worldwide Record – Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com. 9 July 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
- ^ a b c "Sultan Hits $24 Million Overseas – Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
- ^ Chauhan, Gaurang (27 February 2018). "Deepika Padukone's Padmaavat beats Aamir Khan's Dhoom 3 and Salman Khan's Tiger Zinda Hai at the box office". Times Now. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Special Features: Box Office: Worldwide Collections and Day wise breakup of Sultan – Box Office". Bollywood Hungama. 7 July 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
- ^ a b "10 highest worldwide grossing Bollywood movies". Asianet News. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ^ "Sultan Creates History In Advance Sales – Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
- ^ "Sultan Takes Bumper Opening – New Records Likely". Box Office India. 6 July 2016. Archived from the original on 23 July 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ "Sultan Has Very Good Second Week". Box Office India. 22 July 2016. Archived from the original on 23 July 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- ^ Statistical Yearbook 2017 (PDF). United Kingdom: British Film Institute (BFI). 2017. pp. 11, 66–7, 108. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ Hungama, Bollywood (30 April 2016). "'Madaari' average; 'Kabaali' surpasses P.K and Dhoom 3Box Office Overseas Report – Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 27 July 2016.
- ^ "Sultan". EntGroup. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "Weekly box office > China". EntGroup. 9 September 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "Sultan". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ "Critics' Verdict: 'Sultan' Is a Winner, Thanks to Salman Khan". TheQuint. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ "Sultan Movie Review: Sultan is a story of Sultan Ali Khan – a local wrestling champion with the world at his feet as he dreams of representing India at the Olympics. It's a story of Aafra – a feisty young girl from the same small town as Sultan with her own set of dreams. When the 2 localRead More". Bollywood Hungama. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ Mitra Das, Srijana (2 January 2017). "Sultan Movie Review". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ Masand, Rajeev (6 July 2016). "'Sultan' Review: Powered by a Riveting Central Performance by Salman Khan". News18. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ Vats, Rohit (6 July 2016). "Sultan review: Salman Khan puts up a performance like never before". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ Saibal Chatterjee (6 July 2016). "Sultan Movie Review". NDTV. Archived from the original on 7 July 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ Gupta, Shubhra (6 July 2016). "Sultan review: Salman Khan cracks and bleeds in his most real performance". The Indian Express. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ 99Games (11 July 2016). "Sultan: The Game" – via Google Play.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "'Sultan' leaked online: YRF denies development; cyber crime sleuths say it's on dark net". Firstpost. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- ^ Shekhar, Shashank (6 July 2016). "After Udta Punjab, Salman's Sultan, Great Grand Masti leaked online". India Today. (the movie will also be released in China later). Retrieved 6 July 2016.
External links
- Sultan at IMDb
- Sultan at Rotten Tomatoes
- Sultan at Box Office Mojo
- Sultan at Yash Raj Films