WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
The fight to survive. More importantly, the fight to make a name for yourself, to have a lasting impact on the world you inhabit, and to ensure there is a legacy left behind for the benefit of those who follow. How these aspirations are reached, however, remains to be seen once the pursuit is underway. From a very young age, Raees (Shah Rukh Khan) had a mind for business. Working initially as a courier for the illegal liquor trade in the prohibition-enforced state of Gujurat while under the employ of local gangster Jairaj (Atul Kulkarni), Raees soon realizes he wants his own means to do business. So, breaking ties with Jairaj, Raees wastes no time becoming a ruthless bootlegger, rising quickly to power through fear and sheer force of savage resolve.
However, enter ACP J.P. Majmudar (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), an honest policeman who has no intentions of seeing the illegal bootlegging and all its associated activities ruin Gujarat, making every attempt to disrupt Raees’ business dealings and deliveries. Not thwarted but rather newly motivated by a worthy adversary, Raees begins to cunningly outsmart Majmudar at every turn, all while trying to avoid other potential dangers from competitors and his own swollen sense of authority and power. Even trying to win over the community by doing some legitimately good deeds, Raees’ ambitions soon catch up with him, forcing his hand, and causing him to pull off a gold heist to save his business, even as his wife Aasiya (Mahira Khan) tries to stand with him and his erratic path.
But, even as his goal seems within reach, it soon becomes evident that for all his slyly acute tactics, Raees may have taken things beyond a point of return.
Next, my Mind:
As if there would honestly be any doubt in the mind of Bollywood fans that a film involving the initials SRK wouldn’t be automatically setting itself up for greatness, it is still a pleasant feeling to see director/co-writer Rahul Dholakia’s epic 143-minute crime thriller doesn’t remotely disappoint those expectations. Fantastically written, smartly executed thanks to top notch direction and casting, and simply filled with enough gritty, intense moments to have viewers gripping their seat arms a majority of the time, this is truly what crime drama done right looks like. Still finding ways to infuse genuine romance and straight-forward dramatic material in with the very visceral action sequences, there is no low point to be found here. Rather, the narrative charges forth with a deadest resolve and fiery tone that demands attention. The light-hearted moments are, granted, few and far between, but what else would we expect from this genre?
Does it need to be said that SRK once more dominates and commands the screen as Raees, a man very driven by ambition and his own sense of worth to become one of the most ruthless bootleggers around, yet do it in a way that, while often brutal, is still carried off via highly intelligent, calculated actions. Yet, even once married, his commitment is always to his job first, and in the end, that level of focus ends up being his downfall, despite his ventures to help others in his community. SRK embodies this character so well, and you simply cannot help but be totally drawn into his performance, as it grips your senses and never lets go, a testament to the supreme talent SRK is. However, let this not make us ignore the brilliant turn by superb character actor Siddiqui as ACP Majmudar, seemingly the one totally loyal and honest cop in Gujarat, whose sole mission it becomes to take down Raees and his operations by any means necessary within the law, even though we know and see how deeply personal a fight this becomes between the two men. Siddiqui plays this type to role so extremely well, no exception here, and it is awesome to see unfold, similar to DeNiro and Pacino in “Heat”.
Supporting turns from the beautiful and very talented Mahira Khan as Raees’ hesitantly understanding and loyal wife Aasiya, Kulkarni as the original gangster Jairaj whose really responsible in many ways for who Raees becomes, plus Mumtaz Socar, Jaideep Ahlawat, Sheeba Chaddha, Narendra Jha, and Sunny Leone all have key appearances in the greater story. In total, “Raees” is, as stated above, an incredibly well-executed crime drama that more than deserves the success it’s had and then some. It continues to show, for this reviewer, that Bollywood is easily on par with Hollywood efforts, if not even surpassing it in many regards. Thanks to quality acting, excellent direction, and equally adept writing, the film will easily stand as one of the best of 2017 with its passionate and edgy delivery fit for the king of Indian cinema. Thank you yet again, SRK!
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
