Ten years after ‘Sultan’ became one of Hindi cinema’s most celebrated sports dramas, director Ali Abbas Zafar has opened up about the making of the Salman Khan-starrer. From revealing that Salman was always the first and only choice for the lead role to sharing that Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone was once considered for a pivotal character, the filmmaker offered fresh insights into the blockbuster’s journey.
Salman Khan was always the first choice
Speaking to SCREEN about how the idea for ‘Sultan’ took shape, Ali Abbas Zafar said the story was built around the emotional journey of a wrestler overcoming his own flaws.“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.“
The transformation that impressed the director
Ali praised Salman for committing himself completely to the physically demanding role, recalling the effort he invested in preparing for the film.“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.'”
Sylvester Stallone was almost part of ‘Sultan’
One of the biggest revelations from the conversation was that the makers had initially hoped to cast Sylvester Stallone as Sultan’s mentor, a role that eventually went to 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.”Ali explained that after Stallone couldn’t come on board, Randeep Hooda emerged as the perfect fit.“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.”
Upcoming projects
On the professional front, Ali Abbas Zafar is currently directing a romantic action film featuring Ahaan Panday, Sharvari and Aaishvary Thackeray. Salman Khan, meanwhile, is busy shooting for director Vamshi Paidipally’s upcoming pan-India action entertainer.
