‘Raees’ movie review: Shah Rukh Khan and Nawazuddin shine in this massy entertainer

Directed By: Rahul Dholakia
Produced By: Red Chillies Entertainment, Excel Entertainment
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Mahira Khan
Duration: 2 hours 41 minutes
Bollywood Bubble Rating: 3.5/5

The very awaited Shah Rukh Khan-starrer action crime thriller ‘Raees‘ hits the theatres today and Shah Rukh Khan in and as ‘Raees’ is the quintessential anti-hero we would love to see on screen. The story of the rise and fall of a powerful liquor baron in the dry state of Gujarat, coupled with action, drama, thrill and dance all clubbed in one is what makes this film a massy entertainer. But does the film live up to the expectation set by the trailer, dialogues and songs that we have seen in the past few weeks? Find all the answers in ‘Raees’ movie review.

Raees Alam (Shah Rukh Khan) is the liquor baron from Fatehpura, Gujarat. Two lines are all it took for a streetsmart school going kid to tread a path of illegal liquor business – ‘Koi dhandha chhota nahi hota, aur koi dharam dhandhe se bada nahi hota’ were the golden words of his Ammi jaan; and ‘Baniye ka dimaag aur miyan bhai ki daring, dono hai iske paas’ coming straight from his mentor. Raees is intelligent, smart, and is compassionate enough at heart. He is hated by the the police but immensely loved by his own people. His empire grows as he becomes number 1 in his business. He falls in love with Aasiya (Mahira Khan), gets married, has a child and meanwhile time changes. The politicians who were fed with his money all this while, betray him. The world crumbles as one day, Raees finds out he unknowingly went against his own principles. Rest is a story with too many layers to be summed up in words. But where will this path lead Raees to? Watch the film to know!

‘Raees’ will be remembered as one of Shah Rukh Khan’s finest performances. He has romanced earlier, sung and danced earlier, fought earlier. However, this time around, he plays a sinner you can’t hate. Mahira Khan in her Bollywood debut is fairly okay. We missed the spark that is otherwise seen with the leading ladies that Shah Rukh Khan romances. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub as Sadiq is excellent in his supporting role. Nawazuddin Siddiqui shines through as he underplays his character of a dutiful cop with equal conviction. KU Mohanan’s cinematography comes as a crucial advancement to the story here, whereas Ram Sampath’s music adds intensity to the dense moments.

If you are familiar with Rahul Dholakia’s previous work, ‘Raees’ will please you but won’t surprise you. The film and its characters have more layers than we can count. The film maintains a pace throughout, but we wish the characters were established better with a concise writing. Nevertheless ‘Raees‘ is a treat for SRK fans.

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