The bad guys may be missing, but “Sultan” has everything else that makes for a satisfying Bollywood film.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan set the trend for Salman Khan where he steered clear of the whistles and claps style of entertainment. Sultan is an effort to add to that thought, trying to add grit and realism to Salman’s brand of cinema. But unfortunately, Sultan also tries to sneak in larger-than-life heroism and action. It’s definitely not a bad effort, that the film talks about sports and athletes in India is good intentions at their best. When it comes to entertainment, Sultan packs a solid punch.

Zafar’s film is likely to have mass appeal and even win appreciation. But the yardstick being used is Salman’s filmography itself, and I reject the notion that the star is his own genre because it’s a convenient excuse to make mediocre films that will be over-praised merely if one gets a few of the basics right.

Despite these flaws and several clichés, Sultan has an emotional core that is hard to resist. Writer-director Zafar is clever in the way he uses his actors, the innate poignancy of his story and Vishal-Shekhar’s songs to create a moving whole. Even when Jag ghoomeya is abruptly and awkwardly inserted into the narrative, the tune and words do not lose their appeal. And the very well choreographed MMA (mixed martial arts) scenes in the second half are spot on.

Sultan is a blockbuster and will go on to write box-office history. It will smash old box-office records and create new ones. It will turn out to be one of the biggest ever blockbusters, if not THE BIGGEST ever so far!

Besides imparting a relevant message about the power of perseverance, the film is remarkable for its well-written dialogues, rounded characters, convincing performances and songs that refuse to leave you.

Everyone does their job with a degree of professionalism befitting a YRF production. There’s too much slo-mo as usual, but Artur Żurawski’s camerawork is nimble. Vishal-Shekhar’s title song is played something like a dozen times in the film, and is catchy enough to withstand this overuse (credit, also, to Irshad Kamil’s lyrics). Zafar’s writing is simplistic but rousing; one could say the same of his direction too.

In spite of being a Bhai film it showcases the woman’s cause — PM’s beti bachao abhiyan in the backdrop of Haryana, infamous for female foeticide and a lopsided sex ratio. What could be nicer?

Sultan is billed as fiction but at its heart, it’s really a biopic of Salman Khan, the dark star who has now attained supernova status.