January is almost over & we have the first major releases of the year in "Raees" & "Kaabil" on the eve of the 68th Republic day. Since I was busy with my work commitments, I thought to watch them over the weekend after all both the trailers seemed to give the impression that it was worth watching. With the FEDAL match set to commence in less than 6 h, I decided to first check out SRK's "Raees" which has been in the news for quite some time be it for the Pakistani actress or the clashing of the movie with "Kaabil" which was frowned down upon by Rakesh Roshan. Anywaz it has hit the screens now & it remains to be seen whether it will be able to challenge the undisputed run of "Dangal"???

The film unfolds in Fatehpura in the 70s where Raees (Shubham Chintamani) his buddy, Sadiq (Shubham Tukaram) in their school years also doubled up as carriers for the local bootlegger. They later on join the gang of Jairaj (Atul Kulkarni), who was the kingpin in this business. With time, Raees (SRK) in Jairaj's words due to his "baniya ka dimag aur Miya bhai ka daring" becomes the trusted lieutenant of his boss. But Raees's dream to set up his own empire makes him loggerheads with Jairaj & Co. All their efforts to stop Raees fails, but a bigger threat for all of them was Jaideep Majmudar (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), an honest police officer who was hell bent to wipe out the illicit alcohol business in Gujarat. Will Jaideep prove to be nemesis of Raees???

Rahul Dholakia's credentials as a director needs no introduction as he was awarded the National award for "Parzania" in 2002 which was based on the Gujarat communal riots. His previous outing "Lamhaa" didnt make much stir at the box office; there are huge expectations from "Raees" after all it is a SRK movie. Even though Rahul & his team who had penned the script claim the characters to be fictional, there is no doubt that the protagonist is inspired from Abdul Latif, the king of illegal alcohol business in Gujarat. The first half is absorbing as SRK rocks the screen with his negative character shades. However post-interval, the character is mellowed down & made to play to the galleries showcasing him as a gangster with a heart of gold.

In the technical department, there were some fantastic dialogues while K U Mohanan visuals deserve praise. The VFX effects weren't exactly top notch & the action sequences could have been choreographed better. Ram Sampath's music was ok with "Zaalima" rendered by Arijit Singh & Harshdeep Kaur being the stand out one while Deepa Bhatia ought to have done a better job with the editing in the latter half.

Shahrukh rocked as the protagonist & carries the movie with his charisma whenever the screenplay faltered. His scenes with Nawazuddin were the best ones in the movie & the latter was brilliant as the police officer. Mahira Khan has done a very average job & her chemistry with SRK wasnt upto the mark. It was a role which could have been much better performed by any of our leading Bollywood ladies. Zeeshan Ayyub has done justice to his role while Narendra Jha & Atul Kulkarni were fine as well.

Verdict: "Raees" is creating waves at the box office as expected as it has collected close to 60C in the domestic market in just 3 days. It's been a while since SRK had a blockbuster & from the looks of it, this is likely to do just that. There is no doubt that the fans will love the movie while the rest can be assured that it is worth a one time watch provided you dont expect anything out of the ordinary, In short, you can give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Raees is an action crime thriller co-written and directed by Rahul
Dholakia. Produced under the banners of Red Chillies Entertainment and
Excel Entertainment, Raees stars Shah Rukh Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui,
and Mahira Khan. Set in the backdrop of 1980s Gujarat, Raees is a crime
saga of a small-time bootlegger who rises to become the undisputed king
of the state's liquor mafia.Raees is about the extreme sides of human
psyche, good as well as bad; there are no half measures here. It is
also about survival in a dog-eat-dog world. Raees also touches upon the
all important issue of communal harmony. Although, Raees draws heavily
from crime classics like Scarface, The Godfather, The Godfather: Part
II, Once Upon a Time in America, and The Untouchables, manages to stand
on its own thanks to Rahul Dholakia and team who manage to keep the
plot engaging throughout. Siddiqui's character has a humorous undertone
which adds a layer to the caricature. Overall, Raees makes for an
engaging cinematic experience that takes a departure from the recent
films of Shah Rukh Khan.Regardless of film's show at the box-office,
Raees is a film that no SRK fan can afford to miss.

Three years after the cataclysmic riots in the Indian state of Gujarat of which only the spectators are alive today, Rahul Dholakia charmed us with his hard-hitting drama Parzania (2005). He talked about the hardship of Muslims fighting for their survival then. More than a decade later, his sloppy drama takes you into another world of crime in the same state, this time criticized for its alcohol prohibition.



Set in the prohibition era of Gujarat (officially since 1960), the story is set in the early 80s where a small schoolboy named Raees Alam helps local bootleggers by signaling them about the arrival of the police. Tired of apprehensions, although always inconsequent, Alam decides to go work for Vijayraj (Atul Agnihotri) who only deals in English liquor. A decade and a half later, Alam (Shah Rukh Khan) becomes his master's right-hand guy to the extent where he decides to start his own business. He does, much to Vijayraj's bitterness, and succeeds tremendously. Around the same time, a policeman named Majmudar (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) is transferred to Alam's town, and things get messy for everyone.



Alam lives and works by the slushy watchword that was taught to him by his mother about how no type of work is lowly and that no religion is above work. Alam makes it a point that he slurs it at least a dozen times throughout his life (the movie, too), not even sparing the law enforcement who appear to be doing their job much fervently as other similar Hindi films hesitate to manifest. The wordy phrase becomes his life lesson even as he begins his own journey as the master bootlegger in the whole of state. There is no escape from the fact that everything laid out by the writers here has a touch of artificiality, and we know better than consuming artificial alcohol, don't we? Alam is frequently teased with the name "battery" by almost everyone he meets, forcing me to use the word "contrived" at least once in this review.



Based on the extraordinary story of Gujarati gangster Abdul Latif, Raees is nowhere near the charismatic chronicle of the man which led to the current state of illegal alcohol flow in the state. Director Dholakia evidently aspires too much of his rags-to-riches story making himself believe that its sheer rawness would appeal its audience who are thirsty of something more than water. However, it has nothing new to offer other than the import from the neighboring country. The action sequences, as is customary in Bollywood, defy gravity. Stunts are shown between short intervals, and none of them are leading enough to make the broth an enjoyable affair. Over- dramatic slosh coupled with itsy-bitsy romance, a dash of revenge, and a puerile plot line – the first big Bollywood film of the year 2017 is a letdown. There is also this slight hint of criticism for the prohibition in the film's undertone which may be easy to overlook. As a result, it is impossible to detect if it was intentional or forced. (Depends on the makers' political orientation.)



Shah Rukh Khan is in good form, although nothing can beat his performance in Maneesh Sharma's Fan (2016) in recent times. His portrayal as the uneducated yet intelligent miscreant here is decent, enough to impress his servile fans who are even ready to give their life (see Vadodara station mishap). The dialogues that he munches out definitely give more power to the film, but when perceived as a single, whole piece, Khan's solo show becomes inadequate. His character is filled with sugary syrup ready to dissolve in its viewers' diabetic mouth. Even the stunts look messy, despite the cranking cameras doing their best to hold up. Siddiqui is the real star as I found myself, among others, rotting for him as he goes against Alam regardless of the attacks aimed at him from all possible directions. Last year, he was criticized for his portrayal as a deplorable school teacher in Shlok Sharma's Haramkhor (2017) and his inability to drive a film singlehandedly, and in here he confirms that the latter part is very much true. Just because Khan takes care of the rest, Siddiqui influences his audience and makes them love him for what he does. While the lead actor is the anti- hero, the plucky policeman is the real hero here. Newcomer Mahira Khan does not have much to do, which should have been obvious. Supporting actors Agnihotri and Zeeshan Ayyub are better. All in all, if you are capable of appreciating the performances, then Raees will be more palpable.



Overall, director Dholakia's latest feature is an ambitious film that is written poorly but shot well, executed averagely but has good performances, and ultimately looks like aged Scotch but tastes like that liquor which was produced in the go-down of the local bootlegger whom Alam worked for in the beginning. Raw, substandard, and sickeningly acerbic.



BOTTOM LINE: Rahul Dholakia's Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "Raees" is a very purposeful film, with the aim being to establish the story of an established historic character at a time when prohibition of all types seems to be rampant in the country. The only problem is that the story seems to be a "history-cheater". Wait for TV premiere if you are not a fan.



Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

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Shah Rukh Khan is, in many ways, an embodiment of quintessential anti-heroism, his magnetic screen presence invariably lending heft even to half-baked roles like that of Don whom he played six years ago.
In Raees, however, Khan ups the ante considerably, playing a kohl-eyed, bespectacled liquor peddler with consummate flair – ostentation has seldom felt more fun.
Director Rahul Dholakia won universal acclaim for his National Award winning feature Parzania that focussed on the disastrous Gujarat riots of 2002 and their aftermath.
He returns to familiar territory with Raees, spinning a blood-spattered yarn of treachery, gumption and chicanery.
The film is reportedly based on the real-life story of the Gujarati gangster Abdul Latif – as a result, it never fails to feel frighteningly authentic.
However, a film of this nature is, more often than not, forced to cater to demands indirectly stipulated by popular mainstream cinema, and it shows.
Poor Sunny Leone is relegated to gyrating in front of hundreds of lecherous salivating men while Raees, conveniently enough, chooses the aforementioned moment to take down his nemesis for good.
Mahira Khan is strangely insipid in her performance as the titular hero’s wife – this makes for a vapid romance that lacks both substance and bite.
Nitpicking aside, Raees is a compelling character study of a deeply flawed man who refused to comply with various restrictions imposed by the place of his upbringing – and ended up paying the price for it.
Raees managed to get an entire state – dry, as it self-righteously reiterates to this very day – high on alcohol.
A few decades down the line, the actor who portrayed him continues to get an entire nation high on cinema.

OMG! wow. This is called a true Bollywood film.which can never be in Hollywood movies. Raees has uniqueness in every frame. Marvelous terrific. Loved each and every scene.
It's really breath taking to see both superb actors share screen space - SRK & Nawaz u guys killed it / Nailed it. Great Acting. Great Direction. Great Cinematography.Great Music. Great Background score make it a must must watch movie. Go for it guys. The performances in RAEES are consistently remarkable. Shah Rukh is the scene-stealer as well as the show-stealer. Cast in a character that has grey shades, the film brings back memories of his award-worthy acts at the commencement of his career. Nawazuddin matches his co-star's brilliance and delivers a magnificent performance. Both, SRK and Nawazuddin's performances keep you invested in the storyline as well as the characters. Mahira Khan looks gorgeous and handles her part with confidence. Don't Miss it. Its a must must watch

This my honest review of what I felt of the Movie Raees:
First of all, I only have watched 2 Hindi Movies (one being Dangal and another being Raees). Never had the interest in watching Bollywood movies, but for some reasons these two movies got my attention, mainly because of their fabulous trailers that were trending in Canada.
Raees Review:
Raees is a movie portrayed around the 80s and 90s, an era in which bootlegging was big. The movie shows a the growth of a man named "Raees" from his young childhood all the way to adulthood. He gains supremacy in the land and he is control of everything. During this time he meets his wife and also a honest policeman. The policeman is not corrupted as the others and his main mission is to bring down Raees. To figure out who wins and what happens next watch the movie!
Story/Acting: Lets understand that this is a entertainment movie, you should not expect a Oscar movie such as Lion (which also is a great move), so the story is good, however its not great. Nevertheless the story keeps you guessing and it is very intriguing. The dialogues (whatever I read in the subtitles) were really strong. In terms of acting the guy who played Raees was really good, I think if he gets a chance he should come over to Hollywood and be in a movie in which the directors can really use his skills. The policeman acting was great as well, his scenes with Raees was awesome. The rest of the cast was OK, they were honest to their roles.
I also had a chance reading all the IMDb reviews of Raees, some seemed fake to me (doesn't feel like they watched the movie), so I suggest go out and watch this movie at least once. If a Canadian guy like me can watch this movie then I don't know whats stopping you

Gear up for a throwback to the great Salim-Javed blockbusters of the Seventies, where the hero grows up mid-action,breaks the tension and action sequences compel you to whistle.
Carrying that legacy forward, is Raees. Shah Rukh Khan plays the titular character of a spectacled goon who hates being called "battery"; he starts from harmless Ponzi schemes but graduates to pre- planned rackets and becomes the top bootlegger of his town. Shah Rukh Khan has never looked better; he's full of fury and for once, isn't spreading his arms, but breaking others'. The film lies entirely on his shoulders and he carries the weight most of the times. When he doesn't, the ever-so-reliable Nawazuddin Siddiqui steps in with his crackling performance. In the trademark Nawaz style, he delivers some comic relief. Mahirah is restricted to songs and a few emotional scenes, but doesn't really add much. If her purpose was to soften the baddie, it's lost on the viewer.Action Scenes Are Like Every Other Bollywood Movie. The first half is well- paced; it draws you in and makes you root for the SRK, But the second half plunges into a weird Robin Hood zone where the antihero's morals are suddenly defibrillated and he becomes a messiah. The movie takes a rough path there on, and the long runtime makes the ride bumpier. The movie can feel a bit long, but if you're going for a great Shah Rukh performance and some good old popcorn- entertainment,And It Gives A Good Message To Viewers. it might just 'raees' to the occasion.

This is called a true Bollywood film.which can never be in Hollywood movies. Raees has uniqueness in every frame. Marvelous terrific. Loved each and every scene.
It's really breath taking to see both superb actors share screen space - SRK & Nawaz u guys killed it / Nailed it. Great Acting. Great Direction. Great Cinematography.Great Music. Great Background score make it a must must watch movie. Go for it guys. The performances in RAEES are consistently remarkable. Shah Rukh is the scene-stealer as well as the show-stealer. Cast in a character that has grey shades, the film brings back memories of his award-worthy acts at the commencement of his career. Nawazuddin matches his co-star's brilliance and delivers a magnificent performance. Both, SRK and Nawazuddin's performances keep you invested in the storyline as well as the characters. Mahira Khan looks gorgeous and handles her part with confidence. Don't Miss it. Its a must must watch

Raees delivered on every single promise. One of the best movies by SRK that can be universally appreciated after some time. The execution of the movie and the direction were top notch.
As for the acting i feel there could have been a better effort on SRK's part but nonetheless it was still pretty good. Spoiler- One of my fav. scenes was when Raees kills off the man who he worked for during his youth-the expression and camera angles were simply fantastic! That scene tugged the hearts of the viewers and couldn't have been done better.
At the end of the day the i wish the movie was a little longer-as i did not want to leave the world of Raees!!

Raees is an extraordinary piece of work under Rahul Dholakia's direction. Shah Rukh Khan and Nawazzuddin have done their part so properly that it can hold the audience in the theatre.
The best part of the film was screenplay. Indian filmmakers usually try to make a crime drama with lots of twists in it, a major twist and a lot of flashbacks to show their story interesting but unlike other screenwriters Rahul Dholakia and team tried to show a story more realistically in a straight way with each scene after the next with the incidents that has to happen after the other. everything was shown in an order. Rahul Dholakia's direction was good as well as he portrayed the screenplay properly without giving much time to each incident and keeping entertainment in songs and action and not in the real part of the film. Actions were pretty unrealistic though and music and backscore was awesome from Ram Sampat. The kind of crime drama Dholakia portrayed touched the taste of martin scorsese's "taxi driver" and "departed" which are said boring by much Indian viewers but are considered as great movies. He was not completely successful but he almost reached. The direction was good for one more reason because none of the scenes were predictable. The dialogues were good as well. If action scenes would not have been in the film or more realistic action scenes would have been shown then it could have been an unmatchable bollywood crime drama film

Raees delivered on every single promise. One of the best movies by SRK that can be universally appreciated after some time. The execution of the movie and the direction were top notch.
As for the acting i feel there could have been a better effort on SRK's part but nonetheless it was still pretty good. Spoiler- One of my fav. scenes was when Raees kills off the man who he worked for during his youth-the expression and camera angles were simply fantastic! That scene tugged the hearts of the viewers and couldn't have been done better.
At the end of the day the i wish the movie was a little longer-as i did not want to leave the world of Raees!!

raees good story and diraction with great acting by srk and nawaz with but why the film have a lots of song

This movie is a brilliant story of ferocious greed, bootlegging, realistic events, power-play with emotional currents of human drama.
Protagonist RAEES(SRK) says this line before killing MUSA (one of the villains): "For me Business is Religion but I never did Religious Business". For me this line sumps up the whole movie.
RAEES is one of the rarest movie which balances both the quotient Entertainment and Story. This movie is brilliantly directed (Rahul Dholakia has done a great job), well edited, amazing background score with superb songs & have good screenplay with great classic dialogues.
The way characters are established in RAEES will remind you of great movies like Baazigar & Deewar. The action sequences are very realistic & hard hitting especially the Riot scene and Meat market scenes are real bone cruncher. The second half of movie is very emotional (The scene where RAEES breaks town in her wife laps after he realizes about his bankruptcy is one of the best scenes ever).
From performance point of view SRK shows why he is the best, his acting is terrific. From the first scene to the Last you will never get a glimpse of SRK the star because he is not there at all. What you see in RAEES is a Character Portrayal at his best (not a role played like other actors do in Bollywood including SRK himself. They play a role and do not portray a character most of the time). He depicted human side of a bootlegger with great sincerity and correct emotions.
Nawaz and other actors are brilliant in their respective roles. Kudos to the casting director for such a brilliant cast.
Powerful, occasionally humorous, sometimes shocking, emotionally brilliant and a great entertainer, "RAEES" is one of the films which stays with you when you leave the theater.

The story has same plot again n again of SRK finding new ways to transport liquor n Nawaz to counter it....
Songs are awesome.