Sultan Review : Salman Khan Stands Tall Yet Again!
An hour!
That's what it took me to gather my thoughts and bring myself on to pen down this review. Kriti truly left me numb for a while. I was speechless. First I thought of going through the 19 minute long film all over again. Then I decided to hold on for a little longer and let the feeling to sink in.
Shirish Kunder has nailed it with Kriti, and how!
Some of the observations that I have around the film is that there are so many angles to be explored, so many personality facets to be brought out in open, so many skeletons to be unearthed and so many layers to be unveiled.
Those mysterious mannequins inside the villa, that harmless looking typewriter by the pool, that jukebox in the living room, that set of knives hanging on the wall - Kriti has a lot in there which is a story in itself.
However, success soon goes to his head and his arrogance and overconfidence causes a personal tragedy, which drives a wedge between the couple. Following the tragedy, Sultan leaves wrestling at the top of the game and starts leading a meaningless existence, till a fresh challenge makes the 'Lion Of Haryana' decide to seek redemption through the sport that he had quit. What follows next forms the rest of the plot.
This is exactly the core idea that Shirish Kunder brings in the moment he opens his short film with a psychiatrist session in a classily designed hall. Radhika Apte (stylish and elegant as always) begins a conversation with Manoj Bajpayee (the man with a hood) and enquires if he has something to say. Well, the subject in question does have a lot to reveal. After all, he is in love with a girl. The name is Kriti [Neha Sharma]. Well, the psychiatrist is not quite sure. After all, the man - a writer by profession - has a tendency to live in his own world of creations.
Creation. Kriti. Same same no different.
The suspense factor is set there and then. Is Kriti really the girl of Manoj's dreams? Is it actually a dream in itself? Is there an imagination coming into play? Or is there a lot more to it after all.
Well, revealing anything more would be giving way to many a spoiler. However, it has to be admitted that Shirish (who is also the editor here) keeps a stranglehold on proceedings and doesn't let the pace dip down in those 19 minutes. So whether it is the opening conversation between the protagonists or the sequence at the villa where Neha Sharma meets her worst fears or the finale which has at least two major twists to offer, Kriti moves ahead in a serpentine fashion.