No, Sultan is neither based on a real story nor depicts true events. Sultan is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language sports drama film, written and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. Produced by Aditya Chopra under the banner of Yash Raj Films, the movie stars Salman Khan in the titular role, alongside Anushka Sharma, Amit Sadh and Randeep Hooda in supporting roles.
Sultan is a fully fictional sports drama. The protagonist, Sultan Ali Khan, is completely imaginary, with no such wrestler in reality whose life the movie follows. Unlike sports dramas like Dangal, Sultan is neither a biopic nor based on true events. It is simply an emotional, entertaining and larger-than-life sports drama.
Plot Summary
In the present day, Sultan Ali Khan, a former wrestling champion, lives a lonely life in Rewari, Haryana. Aakash Oberoi is the founder of a struggling mixed martial arts league called Pro Takedown in Delhi. To secure publicity for his league, Aakash decides to recruit a true Indian underdog hero and tracks down Sultan. However, Sultan refuses the offer. Subsequently, Aakash learns the story of Sultan from his friend Govind. The story shifts to flashback at this point.
Years earlier, a young Sultan falls in love with Aarfa Hussain, a state-level wrestler and the daughter of a respected local wrestling coach. In order to win her affection and respect, Sultan trains hard to become a wrestler. He wins a state championship. Subsequently, Sultan and Aarfa get hitched with each other.
Sultan wins the Olympic gold medal in wrestling. But he becomes arrogant and even ignores his heavily pregnant wife Aarfa. Tragedy strikes and their son is born with a rare blood disorder, which eventually kills him. A heartbroken Aarfa leaves Sultan and returns to her father. Sultan vows to build a blood bank in his son’s memory.
Back in the present, Aakash convinces Sultan to join Pro Takedown, promising that the prize money would help him in opening his dream blood bank. In a highly tensed climax, Sultan wins the championship, despite injuries.
Bottom Line
The story is original and a product of the director’s imagination, as clarified by both Salman Khan and director Ali Abbas Zafar. It is an underdog story of struggles, comeback and relationships, with wrestling as a backdrop.
The film appears realistic because it features real wrestlers and wrestling sequences. Moreover, the movie draws from common themes in Indian sports and society.
A man from Bihar had filed a case, claiming that he was the real Sultan and that Salman Khan had promised him money for using his life story. The case didn’t go anywhere and was widely seen as baseless.