Movie: Sulthan
Rating: 2.5/5
Cast: Karthi, Rashmika Mandanna
Director: Bakkiyaraj Kannan
Produced By: Dream Warrior Pictures
Release Date: 02nd April 2021

Karthi and Rashmika Mandanna starrer Sulthan hit the screens today amidst positive buzz. Karthi who has a good following amidst Telugu audience expected to repeat the success of his earlier Khaidi and Khaakee with this commercial potboiler. Did he succeed? Is Sulthan worth the hype? Let’s find out in this Sulthan movie review.

Story: The story follows the journey of Sulthan Jr played by Karthi, who after the death of his father Sulthan played by Napolean becomes the de facto head of his gang. Napolean is approached by a group of villagers to save them from the clutches of Jayachandra, played by Ramachandra Raju of KGF fame. Can Karthi save the village from his wrath? Can he reform his own gang forms the crux of the story.

Performance: The movie is out and out Karthi’s movie who played the titular role to perfection. He is well supported by Lal who plays the role of his uncle and mentor and Yogi babu who provides timely laughs in the first half. Rashmika Mandanna is wasted in her character which could have been written better. Ramachandra Raju gives shades of his powerful KGF role but is wasted as a whole.

Analysis: The movie takes a bit too long to come to the point. The saggy screenplay and songs by Vivek Mervin continuously disturb the flow of the movie which could have been better if the runtime was cut short. Apart from Karthi and Lal, much of the star cast are wasted. The trope of a hero saving the village has been time again used in commercial cinema and there is nothing much to offer in terms of the central conflict of the movie.

Plus Points:

Karthi’s performance
Pre- Interval and Climax fights
Yuvan Shankar Raja’s BGM

Minus Points:

Predictable story
Long runtime
Takes too long to come to the point

Verdict: Sulthan possesses all the ingredients of an exciting commercial potboiler. The movie could have been more engaging had it focussed more on Sulthan’s gang’s reformation and him being clear about his intentions. Certain additional cliched elements could also have been avoided to make the movie more enjoyable. Overall, Sulthan could appeal to action movie lovers and definitely to Karthi fans.