Sultan of Delhi is a flashflood of multiple gangster drama cliches that do not land anywhere. Back in 2010, when Milan Lutharia came up with a period gangster movie like Once Upon a Time in Mumbai that delved into the criminal underbelly of the city it was fairly considered a novelty. Actors with suave body language and loaded dialogues perfectly fit the environment. But when a particular structure of storytelling with predictable tropes gets appreciated in Bollywood, the industry has a tendency to replicate the formula. With the advent of OTT, the same filmmakers have the license to impose their stylistic choices on longer formats of storytelling as well.
Unfortunately, the stereotypical choices made by Milan Lutharia in Sultan of Delhi, do not work and just show that the patience of his audience has reached its saturation point. The unnecessarily verbose scenes, elaborate dialogues, scantily clad women dancing in item numbers, and paper-thin women characters create a mess. I am sure Arnab Ray’s Sultan of Delhi is a better book than the series. Having said that, the screenplay had potential on paper with layered characters and good actors playing the parts. But not even the suave body language of Tahir Raj Bhasin could resurrect the show which breeds on the carcass of once vital and potent Bollywood gangster dramas.
Here is the list of cast and characters who play important roles in the show:
Tahir Raj Bhasin as Arjun
We are introduced to Arjun, a young teenager who loses his family and fortune in the post-partition riots of 1947. He migrates to India with his father Ashok, a once successful businessman. But now owing to the shock he received on the loss of his family, the audience finds him to be a psychological mess. The sense of righteousness and justice in Arjun is highlighted as he combats miscreants in the refugee camps. But that sense of doing good is lost as he grows up.
In a quick flash forward we are introduced to a young man Arjun who now works as a mechanic. In no time, he is shown to be recruited by a gangster named Jagan. From that point on, the series becomes an account of Arjun’s journey as he takes up the dream of becoming the Sultan of Delhi. Arjun is street-smart, intelligent, and compassionate at times, he is lovable, and a great friend but ambitious. His dreams are his hubris.
Tahir Raj Bhasin is one actor who can be lovable and unliked simultaneously. Much like Vijay Verma, Tahir made a name in the industry by playing the bad guy in Mardaani. He has appeared in works like Chichoore, 83, Loop Lapeta and Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein.
Anjum Sharma as Nilendu a.k. a Bangali
Bangali is a happy-go-lucky character. Although he is a Bengali in his origin, he is blissfully unaware of his heritage. He is Arjun’s friend. His loyalty is his trademark. Spirits and women are his weak spots. He gets Arjun and himself into trouble and saves them from the mess as well. Bangali’s character is marked by his bravery and his attitude of wearing his heart on his sleeve. He falls in love with a cabaret dancer named Nayantara. He is made partner by Arjun but fails to complete his assignment. He breaks off his friendship with Arjun and joins the enemy camp of Rajendra Pratap before he is killed for his betrayal.
Anjum Sharma does a commendable part as the flamboyant, sometimes over-the-top Bangali. He has earlier been seen in Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, Mirzapur, and Made in Heaven.
Nishant Dahiya as Rajendra Pratap Singh
Rajendra Pratap or R.P is the principal antagonist in the series. The harsh attitude of his father made him averse to his father. Unknowingly and uncannily he became a reflection of his father, a menacing, ruthless businessman who tried to extract a profit even during the refugee crisis. It seems that RP is a mere puppet who dances to the tunes of Shankari Devi. According to him, Arjun belongs to a lower class and undeserving of the title of Sultan of Delhi. He seeks every possible way to oppose Arjun during his time at Jagan Seth’s company. He steals Arjun’s girlfriend and marries her. By the end of the series, the viewer is shocked to see that he even kills off Shankari with his bare hands.
Nishant Dahiya feels a little awkward in the role of RP, or in that of every other villain that he plays. He was seen in films like Kedarnath, Raat Akali Hain, 83, etc.
Vinay Pathak as Jagan
Jagan is a businessman by the day and an illegal arms dealer by the night. Bengali and Arjun work for Jagan and they are his closest associates until RP joins him. RP with his money and connections raised his status from a lowly criminal turned businessman to that of a well-respected politician. Jagan is highly perceptive of a person’s character but his karma comes around. He had once sold Shankari in the prostitution market and she comes back and acts through RP to exact her revenge.
Vinay Pathak plays the character with a strange bounce in his body language. He reduces the role to that of a caricature of a gangster boss. Although Vinay Pathak is a great actor whom we have seen in Bheja Fry, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Made in Heaven, and Ram Prasad ki Tehrvi, his performance in Sultan of Delhi feels a little out of place.
Anupriya Goenka as Shankari Devi
Shankari Devi is the other woman in the Singh family. RP’s father was enamoured by her charms and that broke his connection with his wife. She was once sold off in the prostitution market by Jagan. The makers justify the actions of Shankari by invoking the injustice that she faced in her younger days. Every other minor character that we find in the series seems to be aware of Shankari’s charms. She harnesses her sensuality and uses it as her best weapon.
Anupriya Goenka looks ravishing as Shankari and delivers a powerful performance in an otherwise loose script. She has been earlier seen in Padmavat, War, Criminal Justice, Asur, etc.
Mouni Roy as Nayantara
Nayantara is a Bengali cabaret girl from Calcutta. She instantly traps Bengali in her eyes and they eventually get married and become parents to a boy. But she was always attracted to Arjun. And that is a thing, none of the women in the series can’t seem to take an eye off our hero. In a small sequence towards the end of the film, Arjun seems to cheat on his wife Preeti (Harleen Shethi) to establish a connection with Nayantara. Mouni Roy’s character does not have much to do in the series. In fact, she is there as a mere eye candy. Mouni debuted with Ekta Kapoor’s Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. But she is better known for her role in Naagin. Her performance in Brahmastra was also highly appreciated.
Sultan of Delhi was an ambitious series that lacked research. The contemporary people, places, and politics that the show deals with are widely displaced from history. The actors have tried to justify their roles and for that reason alone this series can be given a shot.
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