Sultan director Ali Abbas Zafar says Dangal is better than Sultan

By Subhash K. Jha -

January 5, 2017 - 9:57 AM IST

It’s easy to fall in love with Dangal and its tale of a benignly tyrannical father who pushes his daughters to Olympian heights. Every critic and moviegoer in India is now comparing Dangal to Sultan, and most including Salman agree Dangal is a better film. Salman Khan has gone on-record to state he “hates” Aamir for his achievement in Dangal, and that Dangal is not only a better film than Sultan but also a better film than Aamir’s Lagaan.

Sultan director Ali Abbas Zafar says Dangal is better than Sultan

Now Sultan director Ali Abbas Zafar who is out of the country agrees. “I saw the film before leaving …loved it. I had predicted Dangal will be the best film of the year. It's a phenomenal story and a very relevant subject for India.”

Ali reveals how he was constantly in touch with Dangal director Nitesh Tiwari to avoid similarities between the two films. “I went to him and we both spoke about the portions in our films where there could be a possible overlap. It was a wise idea to share our thoughts. We were completely open in our thought processes regarding our films. More films with similar backdrops should work in consultation with one another to avoid repetition.”

Ali, who is set to direct his Sultan star again in the sequel to Ek Tha Tiger, sends his best wishes to Salman Khan who celebrates his 52^nd birthday on December 27. “I would say Tiger zinda tha... zinda hai aur Inshallah humesha rahega... all my love to SK.”