Sulthan Movie Review

Karthi returns to the big screen with Sulthan, which is the sophomore effort from Bakkiyaraj Kannan of Remo fame. Changing genres from a romantic comedy to a full-blown mass entertainer, the director treats his film keeping both Tamil and Telugu audiences in mind.

Sulthan tells us the story of Vikram, fondly known by the titular name, and how he returns to his army of 100 rowdies as a man who doesn’t like violence. Sulthan promises the local cops that his rowdies will refrain from violence for the next six months, but his dying father’s last promise to safeguard the nearby village has to be fulfilled, and that’s where he is to bend his rules. The film is based on the relationship between Sulthan and his army of rowdies, and how he goes the long hop to keep his promises and his people.

The film takes off in a lovely fashion, with the setup and Karthi’s entry done well. From there on, there’s a lethargic flow in the film which is largely packed with all the commercial elements in the list, and rarely provides something new or exciting until we get to the massy interval block that brightens up everything. The second half however, drags a lot and is busy satisfying action fans and of course, Karthi’s fans who will love to see the star as a complete mass hero. Sulthan begins to fizzle out as it moves towards the end, as there is little to cheer for the common audiences who expect a watertight entertainer.

It is Karthi’s show all the way, as the actor enjoys himself in an action-packed avatar that has him performing a truckload of stunts. As a performer, he has little to do here and just goes with the flow of the film.

Rashmika has a nice presence and is at her bubbly best, with the two songs bringing in a good touch. Lal is the other person in the cast with a good role, while the rest of the henchmen are a likable group. However, both the villains in the film have plastic roles to play and come out as weak, underdeveloped characters.

Vivek – Merwin’s superb songs are a big plus to the film, as they are pictured interestingly too. The cinematography by Sathyan Sooryan is a plus point, with the rest of technicalities being functional.

Toting up, Sulthan is a mix of many of the commercial entertainers we have seen till date in Tamil and Telugu cinema. The film has sparks flying at many places, but the forced farmer worship, empty villain arcs and familiarity take the legs off the pedal. An average entertainer on the whole.  Sulthan Movie Review by Siddarth Srinivas

Sulthan Movie Review Rating: 2.75/5