Plot
Set
in
Fatehpur,
Gujarat,
we
are
introduced
to
Raees
Alam
as
a
small
kid
who
serves
as
a
runner
for
a
bootlegger.
At
school, he has
trouble
reading
the
board
and
is
prescibed
a
pair
of
spectacles
by
their
neighbourhood
doctor.
But
mind
you,
our
boy
has
a
warning
for
all-
'Battery
nahi
bolneka
saala'.
Pretty
soon,
he
receives
a
life-changing
advice
from
his
ammi
when
she
steps
in
to
save
him
from
a
cop
during
a
liquor
raid.
The
cop
ridicules
her
of
being
a
ragpicker
to
which
she tells
him- "Koi
dhanda
chhota
ya
bada
nahi
hota,
aur
dhande
se
bada
koi
dharm
nahin
hota."
These
words
leave
a
lasting
impression
on
Raees
who
decides
to
jump
straight
into
the
business
of
liquor
with
his
friend
Sadiq
by
his
side.
Soon
he
ends
up
being
alcohol
kingpin
Jayaraj
Seth's
(Atul
Kulkarni)
right
hand after
the
latter comes
across his
'baniye
ka
dimaag
aur
miyanbhai
ki
daring'.
Years
pass
by,
a
grown
up,
kohl-eyed
Raees
(Shahrukh
Khan) is
determined
to
set
up
his
own business.
His
best
friend
Sadiq
(Mohammed
Zeeshan
Ayab)
is
now
his
Man
Friday.
Soon,
Raees
becomes
a
boss
of
his
own
empire.
He
greases
cops,
politicians
and
everybody
in
the
middle
to
get
his
things
done.
At
the
same
time,
he
is
a
desi
Robinhood
for
the
people
in
his
mohallah
and
never
hesitates
to
lend
a
helping
hand.
However,
the
fiercely
ambitious
man
meets
his
match
when
Inspector
Jaideep
Majumdar
(Nawazuddin
Siddiqui)
gets
transferred
to
Raees' land..
A
no
nonsense,
rule
abiding
cop,
Majumdar's
only
aim
is
to
wipe
away
the
bootlegging
business
and
reduce
Raees'
empire
to
ashes.
At
one
point,
you
hear
him
saying,
Raees
ka
aur
mera
rishta
bada
ajeeb
hai
...
paas
reh
nahi
sakta
aur
saala
door
jaane
nahi
deta'.
What
follows
next
is
a
cat-and-mouse
game
between
the
two
with
each
trying
to
outdo
the
other.
Direction
Rahul
Dholakia
takes
you
back
to
the
days
of
Deewar
and
Agneepath
where
you
have
a
larger-than-life
hero
who
never
bats
an
eyelid
when
it
comes
to
talking
with
fists,
a
mother
who
dearly
loves
her
son
and
makes
it
sure
to
bestow
him
with
some
life
gyaan
and
an
item
song
for
the
hero
to
enter
the
villain's
den
and
beat
his
men
to
pulp.
Raees
has
all
these
ingredients
of
a
perfect commercial
entertainer. Unfortunately
the
filmmaker
only
manages
to
scratch the
surface
and
present
a
bland
version
which is
still
ends
up
being
palatable
and
the
major
credit
for
it
goes
to
Shahrukh
Khan
and
Nawazuddin
Siddiqui's
sparkling
performances.
Performances
It's
quite
refreshing
to
watch
Shahrukh
Khan
in
a
role
where
he
isn't
just
reduced
to a
quintessential
lover
boy.
Raees
is
rugged,
smart,
sharp-witted
with
a
swag
that's
'oh-so-sexy'.
You
see
him indulging
in
fights
with
his
opponents
and
emerging
victorious
with
bruises
all
over
him. His
sexy
Pathani
suits
make
you
go
all
drools.
At
the
same
time,
Raees
never
shies
away
from
shedding
a
tear
or
two
when
it
comes
to
emotionally
weak
moments.
SRK
lifts
up
the
sagging
screenplay
with
his
towering
presence.
Nawazuddin
Siddiqui
is
at
his
impressive
best
and
gets
some
of
the
best
dialogues
in
the
film.
He
plays
King
Khan's
nemesis
with
a
lasting
impact.
Unfortunately,the
one-dimensional
writing
of
his
character
fails
to
do
complete
justice
to
his
acting
prowess.
Still,
he
is
an
absolute
crackler to
watch
in
the
film.
Mahira
Khan
suffers
from
an
under-written
role
that
just
adds
minutes
to
the
run-track.
Her
track
with
Shahrukh
Khan
is
insipid
and
the
lady
fails
to
ignite
some
chemistry
with
her
co-star
on
screen.
She
gives
you
too
many
'yawn' moments.
A
not-so-impressive
Bollywood
debut
by
Mahira!
Mohammed
Zeeshan
Ayub
lends
a
good
support
but
nothing
noteworthy.
I
wished
the
makers
had
utilized
his
character
in
a
better
way
in
the
film.
Technical
Aspects
Raees
would
have
been
a
way
better
film
had
the
makers
focussed
more
on
the
writing
bit.
While
the
film
is
high
on
some
good
performances,
the
lethargic
screenplay
dampens
some
of
your
excitement.
At
times,
the
narrative
suffers
from
a
dip
and
you
wish
for
some
pace
in
the
story-telling.
The
action
scenes
are
more
physical
and
loud.
The
film
has
a
couple
of
whistle-worthy
dialogues
which
keeps
you
entertained.
K.U
Mohanan's
cinematography
is
top-notch
and
perfectly
captures
the
more
real
side
of
Gujarat
rather
than
falling
prey
to
the
vibrancy.
The
editing
scissors
could
have
made the
film
more
crisper.
Music
Sadly,
Raees
scores
low
when
it
comes
to
music.
Barring
Sunny
Leone's
Laila,
none
of
the
other
tracks
stay
with
you
post
the
film.