Raees Movie Review: This Shahrukh Khan-Nawazuddin Siddiqui Starrer Is Rich In Performances!

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.