Sultan

Sultan Ali Khan, played by Salman Khan, is a former wrestling champion approaching forty in a town in Haryana. Aarfa, played by Anushka Sharma, is a wrestler too, with her own Olympic ambitions. The film covers their relationship, Sultan's rise, what he loses, and his return years later to the mixed martial arts ring. What is notable is that the hero's failing is moral rather than physical. At his peak Sultan disregards his wife's career, and that is where the real loss happens; the comeback in the second half is framed as restitution rather than sporting triumph. Ali Abbas Zafar directed and Aditya Chopra produced. Made for ninety crore, it grossed six hundred and twenty-three crore worldwide and became the tenth highest-earning Hindi film to that point, also breaking opening weekend records. Who it is for: viewers who like Indian sports drama and Salman Khan films. Who it is not for: anyone wanting realistic combat or a running time under three hours.