Ali Abbas Zafar: Sultan’s journey is akin to Salman Khan’s real life

Salman Khan and Anushka Sharma starrer ‘Sultan’ that released on Eid is minting moolah at the box office. The USP of the film is Sultan Ali Khan, the character depicted by the Dabangg Khan in the Ali Abbas Zafar directorial. Zafar is a happy man with the response generated by his film that is based on the background of wrestling.

Ali Abbas Zafar said, “The journey of ‘Sultan’, as visualised by me, was akin to that of Salman Khan’s in real life. As Bhai’s professional and personal lives have been dotted with many ups and downs, I created a character equal to his star power or larger than that. In 2012, ‘Sultan’ was a draft. Today it is a full-fledged film. This journey has been incredible. The film, in a way, sums up the journey most sportsmen go through. The character of ‘Sultan’, too, goes through his emotional and physical journey — it has been shot in three different body types of Khan.”

Abbas further added, “Whether you are in a wrestling ring or that of life, you are bound to falter sometimes because of the circumstances. Yet, you have to get up and move forward. And finally, rise above everything to rediscover yourself.”

With ‘Sultan’ creating a record with its opening weekend earning of Rs 345 crore that includes the overseas market too, the character of this flawed wrestling champion seems to have found a wide acceptance.