Sultan (2016)

Sultan is the kind of crowd-pleaser that earns its cheers, marrying bruising sports action with a surprisingly tender, human heartbeat. Salman Khan delivers one of his most grounded performances, letting the swagger fall away so you can feel the weight behind every comeback, while Anushka Sharma brings steel and warmth that keeps the romance and drama honest. The film moves with the momentum of a true blockbuster—training highs, hard knocks, and big-arena electricity—yet it never forgets the quieter emotional stakes that make the victory mean something. If you’re not into earnest, larger-than-life Bollywood sports dramas, it may feel a touch sweeping, but if you want an inspirational, deeply entertaining ride, Sultan absolutely delivers.

Sultan is aiming for a big, crowd-pleasing sports comeback mixed with romance and national-pride drama, and it mostly delivers that glossy, emotional ride. The catch is that the story rarely surprises: you can see the beats coming a mile away, and the training-to-triumph arc leans hard on familiar clichés and a fairly formulaic structure. It’s also long, with fight and motivational sequences that can feel more “movie heroic” than believable, and some viewers may bristle at how the female lead’s sacrifices are framed. If you want a grounded sports drama with sharp writing, this may test your patience, but if you’re up for a star-driven, high-energy underdog saga with heart and spectacle, it can still hit the spot.