Salman Khan returns with another biggie

Islamabad

Director: Ali Abbas Zafar

Producer: Aditya Chopra (Yash Raj Films)

Music: Vishal-Shehkar

Geo Films Release

Cast: Salman Khan, Anushka Sharma, Randeep Hooda.

Like every Eid in recent years, Salman Khan returns with another biggie: Sultan. He has had good fortune for consistent hot scores at the box office hits.

But are smash hits and triumphs (Wanted, Dabaang, Bodyguard, Eik Tha Tiger, Dabaang 2,Jai Ho, Kick and Bajrangi Bhaijan) are alone enough. All these films have minted gold and instantly inducted into hundred crore club and more of Bollywood elite film fraternity. However, good fortune alone does not turn one into billionaire. One needs much more to create the film magic.

These films have been manipulated to the last drop, calculated and targeted for leisure and pleasure of Salman Khan's diehard fans and addicts.

Salman is bestowed with relatively good looks, pumping iron physique, hard-hitting comic one-liners(and acts) which also include taking off his shirt(to show off those muscles and bring loud roars in the cinema auditorium). These ingredients are count for outstanding commercial success, if not not so appealing and positive critical reviews.

And now Sultan. Salman, fifty-one in real life, keeps some rationale and sensible reason alive by appearing here as an ageing wrestler Sultan Ali Khan now in his forties from Haryana. This is the season for Punjab (Udta Punjab) and Haryana on screen. The wrestler must make a comeback for India at the London Olympics. He has already won 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Apart from superb action, popular melodies, Salman's street Haryana dialect and well-photographed stunts, the good fortune is again at work here. For grabbing attraction, producer Aditya Chopra has provided handsome and rich production effects plus box office formulas. He has tipped all this to director Ali Abbas Zafar with masterful skill and competence. What was left was packaging and promotion. Yash Raj Banner and Geo Films were there to do that with professional skill. Nothing seems to be left out of place here. On screen from Pumping iron and running along with the trains (remember Rocky!), this one also comes with fringe benefits of romance and musical number(Read: Item Songs). The best part is that all this comes in abundant portions.

There is no reason why Sultan must not bring attractive dividends. And the rest around (The Legend of Tarzan, Ice Age 5, Secret Life of Pets and the rest) are just sideshows.

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