Sulthan review: Karthi’s action drama exceeds expectations
A motherless child, Sulthan (played by Karthi) is raised by a group of hardened criminals. He loves these 100 men as brothers but despises their taste for violence. Following the death of his father, the responsibility to take care of these men falls on the shoulders of Sulthan. That is when he decides to transform them and teach them to live as civilized people. It is a Herculean task, but the loyalty and the love that these men have towards him, gives Sulthan a fighting chance.
Sulthan aims to keep his brothers safe from the police operation, which is trying to rid Chennai of rowdyism. He thinks he has got just the opportunity when Yogi Babu’s Bob Aka Babu concocts a lie about a marriage proposal to him from a remote village. Sulthan decides to take the entire entourage to the village in a bid to keep them away from trouble. He doesn’t know that he is walking into just the situation he is so desperate to avoid.
The film’s high production values and strong emotional beats makes it an engrossing watch. Director Bakkiyaraj Kannan’s solidity expands on the belief that men are naturally good. The seasoned criminals who make the entire city shiver are powerless in front of Sulthan. They don’t raise a finger even when Sulthan pushes them around. The film also tracks the inner journey of the protagonist who learns that he can’t make an omelette without cracking a few eggs.
Every scene in the movie works both emotionally and logically. Bakkiyaraj composes scenes that allow him to take full advantage of the cinematic experience of showing 100-strong men dance in a battle formation. There are a few Zack Snyder-esque cinematic moments, especially in the climactic action sequence.
Bakkiyaraj Kannan’s Sulthan is a massive improvement on his first movie, Remo. The 2016 romantic comedy with Sivakarthikeyan in the lead followed a man’s attempts to lure the girl of his dreams. The hero was willing to go to any length to trick the girl into falling in love with him. He even dresses like a nurse to achieve his goal. I had a problem with the way the hero justified his twisted deception in the name of love. In other words, I had problems with Bakkiyaraj’s writing that glorified an act that lacked decency and courage.
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.
