Raees (2017) ‘Mashup’ Review: Caught Between Swagger and Substance

Raees (2017): Caught Between Swagger and Substance

Review by Nafees Ahmed

What works for Raees is exactly what doesn’t work for it. A grounded, honest cop spewing zinger one-liners in a restrained manner is chasing an overblown swagger anti-hero who is delirious to woo the ‘mohalla’ and audience alike. It’s not difficult to experience that you are watching two different films.

The one starring our beloved star Shah Rukh Khan as Raees, who goes ‘back in time’ to play the anti-hero, crippled by the wobbly characterization that can’t decide where to incline his loyalty- to the character or his mohalla’s people. And the other starring our beloved actor Nawazuddin, who effortlessly slips into his character and maneuvers smartly like Michael Jackson, in this mess of a film.

Having said that, the headlock between these two accomplished actors sets the screen ablaze. The inviolable screen presence of the superstar and the undefiled actor complement each other, who, involuntarily, hijack the plot to showcase their insurmountable talent.

Without divulging the core plot, which I presume everyone knows by now, I would just summarize it. The film is set in the 70s and 80s, and was possibly written at that time only. It will reminiscent of everything you have seen in the films of the 80s. A local boy — who prefers stealing spectacles to loaning the money to buy them– having a sidekick (like Pran Saab in Zanjeer), sets up a smuggling empire in the dry state using his wits directed towards voracious ambition.

Not to anyone’s surprise, an honest cop (like Shashi Kapoor in Deewaar) takes the helm in writing to bring Raees to his knees. What follows is the predictable chase of an honest man trying to catch a swindler who later turns into Robinhood. Every bit is predictable, even the climax.

The film starts on a rousing note, and without much struggle, Raees rises to the dominancy of the bootlegging business. The intricacy of smuggling alcohol in a small town, Fatehpur, is detailed, and the narration moves bit by bit, setting the stage for a morally vague anti-hero and an adamant cop.

The first half has compelling drama that, in spite of certain glitches, promises a taut second half, which it does not have. All the steam fizzles due to a lack of a credible screenplay that manipulates the character and tries to twist the plot for the sake of it.

The trance-inducing hooch, when mixed with strong caffeine served in the new bottle, will appeal to a sober guy, nor will it gratify a boozer. The fault lies in assembling these two distinctive but well-written characters. Both the lead actors do justice to their respective characters. SRK’s charismatic and arresting screen presence, with the dash of suave and eloquent eyes, does compensate for the tepidly written character of a businessman who considers his work as his only religion.

Rahul Dholakia could not balance the massy character in his ‘almost’ realistic Gujarat. His ineptitude for writing and directing full-blown commercial scenes is quite evident, while he handles the other scenes like a prolific filmmaker who knows his shit well.

That is the reason why Nawaz’s character feels more grounded, and Dholakia is more comfortable handling it. Not robbing the fact that Nawaz did a brilliant acting in the film, and why not, he can make even an outlandish character of Faroz/Shiv Gajra from Kick terrifying (a little funny too).

Mahira Khan looks drop-dead gorgeous. Zeeshan Ayyub & Atul Kulkarni are wasted in the film. The placement of songs is awkward, I mean, just to fit a song, they ‘create’ an unnecessary situation that hampers the pace of the film.

The writing is shoddy, unimpressive, and lacks even an ounce of originality. Having said that, Nawazuddin & Shah Rukh’s aplomb performances save the film from falling flat on its face & surely deserves one time watch if you are a fan of either of them.

Raees (2017): Two Hours of SRK Swagger—And It Mostly Works

Review by Rohitavra Majumdar

Shah Rukh Khan in (and as) Raees is phenomenal. The film, not quite. Raees manages to fall under that category where you can’t label a movie particularly good or bad. Liking or disliking the movie totally depends on how you view it. Do not get me wrong here, but you might not enjoy Raees much if you watch it in a plus AC multiplex with a popcorn tub in hand and twenty-something people around.

This is a movie that is strictly meant for the single-screen audience. I watched it in such a theater with two hundred other crazy SRK fans around, screamed my heart out when the man appeared on the screen for the first time, cheered loudly on every catchy dialogue and even attempted to dance a bit (retreated eventually, because I can’t dance no matter how much I try it) during the ‘Laila’ song featuring Sunny Leone. And I ended up enjoying it to a huge extent.

Set in the early eighties to the early nineties and loosely based on the life of Abdul Latif (the infamous Gujrati bootlegger, although the director denies it as per the latest reports), Raees is a straightforward film that primarily shows the battle between conventional good versus (somewhat) necessary evil, blurring the line between right and wrong.

At a time when the country reeks with an “in your face” patriotic vibe, this film dares to cast a Pakistani actress, lets the lead character steal a the spectacles frame of a Mahatma Gandhi statue and mouth dialogues like “Dhande ka koi dharm nahin hota” (translates as there’s no religion in business; which he says when a certain Hindu versus Muslim situation pops up in the movie). We even get a scene where we see Raees and his best friend eating something that clearly looks like the most anti-national food (could be mutton, though).

Raees also pays homage to all those commercial action films of the eighties, which we used to enjoy so much while growing up (and even now). It checks every box from the title character being an anti-establishment, but a do-gooder, to a poor childhood with idolizing a mother figure, to giving certain paybacks to the ones who try to take the man down, to the typical honest-to-god police officer stuck in a sea of corruption thanks to the title character.

There is also this great scene where Kalaa Patthar is being played at a Drive-in theater (the particular “Angry Young Man” Amitabh Bachchan beating Prem Chopra sequence), while SRK beats a random arsehole (in the context of the movie) black and blue. In the middle of all these, the great Nawzuddin Siddique uniquely plays that police officer character to make it a standout. Going neck to neck with the Superstar, he manages to earn ample cheers and “citie-talis” from the audience.

The Superstar here is in supreme form, though. Despite the strong presence of Nawazuddin, Atul Kulkarni, Mahira Khan, and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub (playing the familiar best friend of the lead here), this is King Khan’s film, make no mistake.

In a very smart and calculative manner, SRK mixes up both of his personas, the superstar and the underappreciated actor hidden inside, and pulls up the larger-than-life yet somewhat grounded Raees. Fuelled by an infinite amount of swagger (this is, in fact, the Swaagiest King Khan film ever) and the ever-so-charming screen presence, SRK makes Raees a character with whom you get connected and truly feel for him.

Coming back to the opening line, while Shah Rukh Khan has done a brilliant job without an iota of doubt, Raees is not exactly a great film. It has a script that is not exactly well-written, which makes some characters quite abrupt and underdeveloped, the second half kind of drags, and there are two unnecessary song and dance sequences. The cinematography, music, and background score work in its favor, though.

Overall, Rahul Dholakia, the national award-winning director, has made a film that is brave but not so great if dissected under technical parameters. But it still scores as an old fashioned Commercial potboiler, which runs on the Starpower and Dialogue-bazi. If that kind of film is your thing or if you are a fan of its leading man like me, then Raees is surely going to entertain, and even leave a mark on you.

Trailer: