4 min readMumbaiJul 7, 2026 11:30 AM IST
A decade after its release, Sultan continues to be regarded as one of the defining sports dramas in Hindi cinema, driven largely by Salman Khan’s transformative performance. Stepping away from his larger-than-life screen persona, the superstar played an ageing wrestler battling not just opponents in the ring but also his own self. Reflecting on the film’s journey, director Ali Abbas Zafar recently revealed how Sultan came together and why Salman was always the only actor he envisioned for the role.
‘Salman Khan was the only choice for Sultan’
Speaking to Variety India, Ali said, “The idea came from a one-line story of a man who rises against all odds and fights his own ego. I have always been a big fan of sports drama. I wanted to make a film which was rooted and earthy, as you call it a “desi” film. So, we chose wrestling because it is a sport that has a long history in India, and it’s all about mud, earth, soil, falling down, rising up and trying to fight your opponent and put him down, and in a way that is very synonymous to life.”
He further explained that there was never any doubt about who would headline the film. “Salman Khan was the only choice for this film. When I narrated the story idea to Aditya Chopra, he said there’s only one person who can play this role, Salman Khan. I agreed wholeheartedly. We had decided that we’ll make this film only if Salman agrees to do it. When we narrated the film to Salman, it took him exactly 15 minutes to say, “I’m doing this.””
‘Who doesn’t know Bhai, finds him intimidating’
Ali also recalled the immense effort Salman put into preparing for the physically demanding role. “Salman Khan gave everything as an actor to Sultan, from physical transformation to speaking Haryanvi to the kind of hard work he put in learning wrestling, to putting and losing weight, was incredible. I was not worried because the day I narrated him the story, he said, “This story requires a certain kind of transformation, and I’ll do that.””
The filmmaker also reflected on casting Anushka Sharma opposite Salman. While Anushka had previously spoken about initially finding the superstar intimidating, Ali said the dynamic eventually worked in the film’s favour. “What Anushka brought to the character was phenomenal. They’re unlike each other, and I think that added to the opposites attract kind of an equation. Anyone who doesn’t know Bhai well finds him intimidating. But once you get to know him, you understand that there’s a very lovable person behind that hardness. As we shot the film, towards the end, it became very smooth because everyone knew each other very well.”
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‘Let’s get Sylvester Stallone’
In the same conversation, Ali also revealed that the makers had initially considered casting Sylvester Stallone in the mentor’s role that was eventually played by Randeep Hooda. “There were all kinds of names discussed for the role Randeep Hooda played. The most discussed name was Sylvester Stallone. We thought, let’s get Sylvester Stallone because he has done Rocky, and there would be nobody better than Rocky who can train Sultan. I met him. He loved the script, but his dates didn’t work out.”
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Explaining why Randeep ultimately came on board, Ali added, “We went with Randeep because I was clear that I needed a very good actor for that role. Randeep had worked with Salman in Kick, so they had a good chemistry. I think what he did with Fateh was phenomenal.”
On the work front, Ali Abbas Zafar is currently directing a romantic actioner starring Ahaan Panday, alongside Sharvari and Aaishvary Thackeray. Meanwhile, Salman Khan is shooting for director Vamshi Paidipally’s upcoming pan-India actioner.
Sylvester Stallone was considered for Sultan.