Raees Bollywood Movie Review "
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Rating: 3.5/5 Stars (Three and half stars)
Star Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Mahira Khan, Zeeshan Ayyub
Director: Rahul Dholakia
What’s Good: Raees is a complete package of action, romance and drama. A wholesome entertainer of sorts!
What’s Bad: If you connect the story in terms of reality, then it celebrates a false hero.
Loo Break: None extra needed.
Watch or Not?: Raees is certainly a one-time watch. With Shah Rukh Khan in lead, many may not need me telling them to watch it. Also, Nawaz is a complete show-stealer here!
User Rating:
Raees (Shah Rukh Khan) is a bright child, who early on in his school going years learns the trade of alcohol in a dry state (Gujarat). After working under a popular liquor smuggler (Atul Kulkarni) in his early years, he soon decides to start his own business.
His only rule, “Koi dhanda chota nai hota, aur dhande se bada koi dharam nai hota, jisse kisika bura na ho.”
Thanks to his ‘tedha dimaag’ this Battery (because of his spectacles) soon manages to make it to the big league. His growing success is rightly caught by Superintendent of Police Jaideep Ambalal Majmudar (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). Thus, begins a cat and mouse chase between the two.
While Raees’ street smart ways and political network work in favor, Majmudar’s patience in following up with the criminal is a true laudable value.
Will Majmudar be able to nail Raees? Can Raees be tamed?
Raees Review: Script Analysis
Right at the start of the film, we are shown a disclaimer that the film is not based on anyone’s life. I would have to agree with this decision of the censor board considering in other case, it would have been a film celebrating a real life villain.
The first half of the film takes off extremely well, with a great build up to Raees’ character from his childhood and also at setting the milieu. Starting from a lighter note, we are further sucked into the twisted ‘baniya dimaag’ of Raees and also his otherwise Robinhoodesque image. That’s the part that irks, it would have been a treat to watch SRK just as a gangster, we don’t need the heart of gold touch.
The key element to Raees’ story is to keep the audience hooked and it pretty much works here. The film shifts from politics, to romance and action seamlessly, thus keeping a Bollywood fan entertained.
Dialogues are completely, Deewar style and could surely get whistles blowing at most theaters. Particularly, “Main Dharma Ka Dhanda Nai Karta” and “Battery Nai Bolneka” will be major hits. Also, “Aa raha hoon” gets another meaning altogether in the film.
Script wise, the film starts to become dull in the second half when there is too much of heroism portrayed by Raees. Also, the climax is stretched way out of hand and could have been limited.
Raees Review: Star Performance
Shah Rukh Khan looks dreamy as Raees. His kohl eyed look suits him. Coming to the acting bits, he particularly excels in scenes where he shows extreme anger and also the one where he breaks down. Overall, he is in much better a space compared to his previous acts such as Dilwale and Happy New Year. For his fans, this one will be winner!
Mahira Khan’s casting has been the talk of the town. Unfortunately, she does nothing special here and for all we care, any Bollywood actress could have pulled off that role. She even fails to emote appropriately in a few scenes.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui is a star. Every scene with this man is loaded with entertainment and he is the true key to why this film is a fun watch. Loved him all through!
Zeeshan Ayyub is a great actor and as the sidekick, once again does his job well.
Atul Kulkarni, Sheeba Chadda, Uday Tikekar put up a great supporting cast.
Sunny Leone sizzles in her item number ‘Laila’.
Raees Review: Direction, Music
Rahul Dholakia’s Raees has been up for release since last year. We finally get to see it now and one can say, this is a safe bet for Shah Rukh Khan, considering its utterly commercial appeal.
The 80s setting is captured well and a good job from the production design team. Also, a special mention to the costume department for making Shah Rukh look sexy in bell bottoms.
Dholakia succeeds in making an entertainer that has a confluence of all elements needed to appeal a Bollywood freak. First of all, he gets Shah Rukh on board, then makes him a villain with a heart of gold, then laces it up with SRK style romance, a slow-motion action and chase sequence and lastly a dramatic climax.
The VFX on one particular chase sequence involving Shah Rukh looks shoddy. We almost see him flying off places and climbing like spider-man. The action overall too, could have been choreographed better.
Background score is good and the songs are hummable. Yet, they form as a jerk in terms of a gripping story-telling.
The run-time should have been limited to 2 hours which was easily possible with a shortened climax.
Raees Review: The Last Word
Raees is a paisa-wasool entertainer for massy Bollywood fans! A 3.5/5 for this one.
Raees Trailer
Raees releases on 25th Jan, 2017.
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