Raees review|Box office thread - Page 88

This is the @iamsrk i had been waiting for for years ... hes a tiger in this #Raees #phaaad daala ... #baadshah aa gaya

A young lad in Gujarat was born to a very poor yet strong mother. That woman played by gifted actress Sheeba says to the police- 'main Bhangar ka dhandha karti hai aur dhadha chota ya bada nahin hota'. Just this scene picturised on this woman sets the tone of the entire film. Because her son would rise up to be a bootleggger and then a messiah of poor people in his mohallah and further down the King of Liquor Mafia on the radar of police. Right from the beginning the film picks a tone of aggression teamed by an alarming background music and powerful 'filmy' dialogues. Remember Once upon a time in Mumbai directed by Milan Luthria ? rahul Dholakia's Raees has a similar tone and impact.

Raees is ambitious, humble, dangerous, merciful and would never go against a simple rule set by her mother Dhandhe se kisi ko nuksan nahin hona chahiye. He even kills his benefactor in one scene as he made Raees flout this rule unknowingly. Raees is also secular, sharp, helps people in need and never ever would disrespect his rival SP crime Jaideep Ambalal Majmudar played by Nawazuddin siddiqui. He called him 'Saheb' till the last breath. ( oops, did I give out a secret ) He is also a romantic, cooks for his wife, is okay with his wife addressing him as 'tu' and can take a bullet to save his family. But Dhandhe ko nuksan nahin pahunchane ka, or Raees would give a hard one on your face.

This character reminds us of Vijay from Deewar who has a hunger for unlimited money as he watched his mother slog under the sun, all alone, 20 years ago. He wants to undo the memories of his childhood by creating enough for himself and his family. The dream and quest becomes unsatiable in the end and as you know every rise and antagonist has a fall.

This film appeals unabashedly to Shahrukh Khan Fans and minority community. Makes a powerful statement in these times. Film has good actors both in central roles as well as supporting. Shahrukh Khan, Nawazuddin siddiqui, Zeeshan Ayyub all are from theatre background and thus performances are never shallow.

The most catchy and commercial thing about the film is its dialogues. Neeyat baandh ke khada hai sajda kar ke maanega. Duniya Eid manayegi, hum roza rakh kar ghoomenge. Ghadi rakh lo, magaz mein time barabar chalta rahega. Bachche ka baap bana hai Gujarat ka nahin. Rahul Dholakia won a national award with his film Parzania ( a must watch ) and thus Raees shuffles between realistic cinema and playing to the gallery.

The film though streches in the end, is broken in parts and many characters don't have much to do and Shahrukh takes away the whole of the cake. Thats a problem Rahul had to face while working with a global superstar. He had to overuse him and we must excuse him for that.

Film plays heavily on the romance between Chor and Police that is Raees and Nawazuddin's character - Jaideep Majmudar. Nawazuddin's underplaying the role without loud expressions, a raised voice and the hackneyed mannerisms of a police officer in Bollywood as opposed to the 'in your face' disposition of Raees was quite appealing. The viewer was thankfully quite invested in the chase.

Mahira looks good but has little to do in the film occasionally providing serenity in a crime and action infested drama.

The film's backround music especially the theme track of Raees is powerful.

Its an 80's style over the top, sometimes unrealistic popular cinema, that asks for a whistle or two occassionally. Mostly paisawasool.

3.5 Stars.