Sultan of Delhi (TV series)

Sultan of Delhi (transl. King of Delhi) is an Indian Hindi-language period crime thriller television series written by Suparn Verma and directed by Milan Luthria and produced by Namit Sharma under the banner of Reliance Entertainment.[1] The series is set in Delhi[2] in the year 1962 and is based on writer Arnab Ray's book Sultan of Delhi: Ascension,[3] and stars an ensemble cast including Tahir Raj Bhasin, Mouni Roy, Anjum Sharma, Vinay Pathak, Anupriya Goenka, Nishant Dahiya, Mehreen Pirzada and Harleen Sethi.[4][5] It is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ Hotstar on 13 October 2023.[6]

Sultan of Delhi
GenreAction thriller
Created byMilan Luthria
Based onSultan of Delhi: Ascension by Arnab Ray
Written byKaran Vyas (Dialogue)
Screenplay bySuparn Verma
Story bySuparn Verma
Directed by
Starring
Composers
Country of originIndia
Original languageHindi
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes9
Production
Executive producersGaurav Banerjee
Avani Saxena
ProducersNamit Sharma
Richard de Varda
CinematographyVishnu Rao
EditorRajesh G. Pandey
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30- 45 minutes
Production companiesReliance Entertainment
Dreamers & Doers
Original release
NetworkDisney+ Hotstar
Release13 October 2023 (2023-10-13)

Plot

edit

The story of Arjun Bhatia, a teenage immigrant from Lahore who works with Delhi's top illicit arms dealer Jagan Seth, is told in the 2023 TV mini-series Sultan of Delhi. The series is based on Arnab Ray's novel Sultan of Delhi: Ascension.[7] The story follows the ascension of a mobster in 1960s Delhi. Arjun is a 1947 Partition survivor who witnessed his family's slaughter. He makes it through the night with his father and arrives at Delhi.[7] The show opens with a gathering of a half-dozen elderly men who oversee the city's underbelly. Farooq Mastaan (Anil George) calls the conference to order and tells the gang leaders to work together. He designates Arjun as the foremost among equals, the guy who will henceforth make the decisions. [7] The series delves into a story of greed, treachery, bravery, and the ultimate struggle for dominance.[7]

Cast

edit
  • Tahir Raj Bhasin as Arjun Mohindar Bhatia
  • Mouni Roy as Nayantara Gangopadhyay
  • Mehreen Pirzada as Sanjana Ranawat
  • Anjum Sharma as Nilendu Bangopodhya aka Bangaali
  • Vinay Pathak as Jagan Lukman Seth
  • Anupriya Goenka as Shankari Devi aka Chandini
  • Nishant Dahiya as Rajender Pratap Singh aka RP, son of 'JP' Jewender Partap Singh
  • Shadab Kamal as Vaikunth
  • Harleen Sethi as Preeti Ganmukh patel
  • Sunil Kumar as Ganmukh Madan Patel, Preeti's father
  • Anil George as Farooq Mastaan, an underworld Don
  • Gulshan Pandey as Mr. Tejwani
  • Sunil Palwal as Bhope Sandhu, henchman of Seth Jagan

Episodes

edit
No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"The Scar"Milan Luthria
Suparn Verma
Suparn Verma
Karan Vyas
13 October 2023 (2023-10-13)
12"Sweet Smell of Success"Milan Luthria
Suparn Verma
Suparn Verma
Karan Vyas
13 October 2023 (2023-10-13)
13"Kiss of Love"Milan Luthria
Suparn Verma
Suparn Verma
Karan Vyas
13 October 2023 (2023-10-13)
14"Bombay Confidential"Milan Luthria
Suparn Verma
Suparn Verma
Karan Vyas
13 October 2023 (2023-10-13)
15"Return of the Game"Milan Luthria
Suparn Verma
Suparn Verma
Karan Vyas
13 October 2023 (2023-10-13)
16"Nights in White Satin"Milan Luthria
Suparn Verma
Suparn Verma
Karan Vyas
13 October 2023 (2023-10-13)
17"The Crown"Milan Luthria
Suparn Verma
Suparn Verma
Karan Vyas
13 October 2023 (2023-10-13)
18"Fued"Milan Luthria
Suparn Verma
Suparn Verma
Karan Vyas
13 October 2023 (2023-10-13)
19"Till Death Do Us Part"Milan Luthria
Suparn Verma
Suparn Verma
Karan Vyas
13 October 2023 (2023-10-13)

Production

edit

The series was announced on Disney+ Hotstar by Reliance Entertainment, consisting of nine episodes.[8] It is based on Arnab Ray's Sultan of Delhi: Ascension (2016).[3] Initially, Neha Sharma was approached to play the female lead.[9] Later, Tahir Raj Bhasin and Mouni Roy were signed as the lead.[10] The launch event for the series was held on 22 September 2023.[11]

Music

edit
No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Tra La La"KumaarAnu MalikAnmol Malik3:44
2."Saaqiya"Milan LuthriaSangeet-SiddharthJaved Ali3:45
3."Tujh Pe Dil Haar Ke"Kunaal VermaaAmaal MallikArmaan Malik, Shreya Ghoshal3:24
4."Sultan Of Delhi - Theme"-Daniel B.George-2:38
5."Tujh Pe Dil Haar Ke - (Armaan Malik Version)"Kunaal VermaaAmaal MallikArmaan Malik3:24
6."Tuje Pe Dil Haar Ke (Lofi Mix)"Kunaal VermaaAmaal MallikShreya Ghoshal3:20
Total length:20:16

Release

edit

The series was released on 13 October 2023 on OTT platform Disney+ Hotstar.[12]

Critical reception

edit

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated the series 1.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Pulp fiction paraded as a chronicle of a time of immense import, Sultan of Delhi is a rather desultory adaptation of a passable book that has an undeniable sense of history."[13]

Deepa Gahlot for Rediff.com stated "Characters pop in without explanation, like a mysterious white man, Daniel, who wears a pilot's uniform all the time (the costume budget must have run out with Shankari's outfits), and there are bizarre scenes, like Arjun stripping to impress a rival gangster." and rated the series 2.5 stars.[14]

Scroll.in stated "The show likes its racy moments – a distraction from the escalating tedium, perhaps?"[15]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Disney+ Hotstar announces series 'Sultan of Delhi' with Milan Luthria as director". Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Relive old India with Sultan of Delhi, new 60's based Disney+ Hotstar show". Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b "The anti-hero triumphs: Book review of Arnab Ray's Sultan of Delhi". 9 May 2017. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  4. ^ "'Sultan of Delhi' teaser: Milan Luthria's OTT debut reminds you of 60s charm". Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Sultan of Delhi trailer: Tahir Raj Bhasin and Mouni Roy's series is steeped in Milan Luthria colours". 22 September 2023. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Milan Luthria's directorial debut series Sultan of Delhi to stream on Disney+ Hotstar". Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d khan, taker. "Sultans of Delhi plot". Filmyflex.in. Filmyflex. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Disney+ Hotstar, Reliance Entertainment Unveil Trailer for 1960s-Set Saga 'Sultan of Delhi' (EXCLUSIVE)". 22 September 2023. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  9. ^ "Tahir Raj Bhasin, Mouni Roy, and Neha Sharma to star in Milan Luthria's show based on Arnab Ray's book Sultan of Delhi: Ascension : Bollywood News - Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. 26 November 2021. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  10. ^ "Mouni Roy, Tahir Raj Bhasin star in Milan Luthria's 'Sultan of Delhi'". The Hindu. 15 September 2023. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Watch Breaking News Trailer Launch and Press Conference of Disney+ Hotstar Sultan of Delhi | ZEE5 Latest News". Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  12. ^ "Mouni Roy, Tahir Raj Bhasin star in Milan Luthria's 'Sultan of Delhi'". The Hindu. ANI. 15 September 2023. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  13. ^ Chatterjee, Saibal (13 October 2023). "Sultan Of Delhi Review: Blood Soaked But Far From Full Blooded". NDTV. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.     
  14. ^ Gahlot, Deepa (13 October 2023). "Sultan Of Delhi Review: Another Gangster Kahani". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.     
  15. ^ Ramnath, Nandini (13 October 2023). "'Sultan of Delhi' review: Cliches rule the roost". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
edit