Sulthan Movie Review: A predictable but engrossing film

Cast: Karthi, Rashmika Mandanna

Directed By: Bakkiyaraj Kannan

Sulthan doesn't have anything new to offer because it borrows plot heavily from Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar to Mahesh Babu’s Maharshi and Kamal Haasan’s Thevar Magan. Sulthan’s effort to reform the rowdies via farming is a plot point very similar to what Mahesh Babu chooses to do in Maharshi. 

Karthi plays Vikram aka Sulthan, a robotics engineer. Sulthan’s father (played by Napoleon) plays a do-gooder, a messiah with an army of rowdies (nearly 100 of them) at his disposal. 

When a new police commissioner vows to make the city crime-free, he comes after the gang managed by Sulthan’s father with the intention of bumping them in an 'encounter'. Sulthan intervenes and requests an opportunity to reform the rowdies but the process isn’t as easy as he had envisioned. Does Sulthan succeed in reforming the rowdies forms the crux of the story.

The film’s high production values and strong emotional beats makes it an engrossing watch.

From Remo to Sulthan, it is a giant leap for Bakkiyaraj. The director has rid his writing of any and all attempts to rationalize every action of his protagonist. Instead, he puts his hero in a difficult situation, forcing him to make a choice. This builds up a lot of dramatic tension and helps us warm up to the hero who goes through a lot of trouble to do the right thing, which will allow him to sleep at night peacefully.

The film stands out for its action choreography. Few of the action stretches deliver an engaging experience. However, the film hardly makes any impact with its storytelling or characters. Except for Karthi’s character, no other actor gets a meaty part to essay. 

Rashmika, in her maiden appearance in Tamil cinema, is mostly sidelined and so are the actors who play the lead antagonists. Sulthan is Karthi’s show all the way and he’s in his element, shining in a character he couldn’t have played any better.

Sulthan is your quintessential commercial action film that panders to the gallery and is mostly engaging, thanks to the over-the-top treatment and packaging.