Raees Hindi Movie Review

Kya cliché Mara!! Our cinema, like our politics is driven by clichés. The viewer wants it, expects it and laps it up with wilful glee. Rahul Dholakia gifts you Raees (Shahrukh Khan) – the biography of a bootlegger from the land of prohibition Gujarat. The preface and the premise: law is the start point of revolt. Our dizzy myopic criminal is no Jean Val Jean and any strained attempt to justify the shift of a poor child being initiated into the big bad world or crime is so spice filled that it is clearly robbed of any social pretension or philosophical authenticity. This main stream entertainer is obviously not meant to be taken seriously. It is no task of a film maker to play social reformer, so Dholakia cannot be accused for what he is saying. Having got SRK as the protagonist, he is absolved of blame also for “how” he goes about saying it all.
It is the law Vs. persona and as a realistic reflection of our society, personalities get the better of causes. Today we see everyone get populist. Politics is fine art of deceit. Notice how the riot finds the acceptance of an audience that is whistling approval. Aren’t we the ones who recite platitudes in brad daylight? Finally Raees is about how well SRK is marketed.
The story line is very simple Raees is brought up in poverty by single Mom (Sheeba Chadda). This justifies his juvenile initiation into bootlegging egged and abetted by Jairaj Seth (Atul Kulkarni – welcome back!!). Soon he grows larger than life in the company of buddy Sadiq (spirited performance from Mohd Zashan Ayub), falls in love with Monisha (Mahira), takes up cudgels with the political heavy weights and ensures he is the power centre. However the brewing nemesis is ACP Majumdar (Nawazuddin Sidiqui).
The Tom and Jerry game is on. Lawlessness has a blast. Both sides do not believe in the rule of law. The guy with the heart of gold and misty (Kohl filled) eyes and the cool Khaki guy are engaged in a battle of wits. As the police officer gets suffocatingly close to the erring criminal, the audience has a full sweep show of how in real life crime is indeed getting larger than life and nearer to reel life. Even as Raees (SRK) unwittingly helps a bomb blast with the help of benefactor (Narendra Jha – his most important release day – with his Kaabil too out there for the more discerning takers). Law has to catch up and yet again the message is clear: law is an inadequate measure to handle societal imbalances and crime.
The film is expectedly built around the star quality of Shah Rukh Khan who is his usual self. In case you have been trapped into appreciating his school of cinema here is another good outing. In case you believe he can make hamming a virtue there is yet again proof of it in abundance. The star doubtlessly Nawazuddin. This guy defies expression. Watch the film for his amazing performance. The import of human resource is wholly unnecessary except for diplomatic reasons and building cultural bridges. The chemistry between the lead pair is conspicuously absent. Raees is a paise wassol outing.

Rating: 3 Stars
+: Nawazuddin and Mohd. Zeeshan Ayub
-: Too long. Clichéd.
L. Ravichander