Watching ”Raees” is like a mixture of seventies hero who gains power amidst the action, a lead character full of swag and a Sunny Leone song that breaks the momentum of action scenes that compels you to whistle.
Shah Rukh Khan, who plays ”Raees” proves once again through his acting prowess why he is called the King of Bollywood. Raees, who hates being called ‘battery’ starts off with harmless schemes which later develops and he becomes the biggest bootlegger of his town. Enters ACP Majumdar, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui who gives a bang on competition to King Khan with his acting skills. After starting off with the support of politicians Raees later becomes their rival.
To put it short, the first half has a good pace, intrigues the audience into showing their support to the lead. Nawazuddin’s one liners, Sunny Leone’s ‘Laila Main Laila’, and the music all fulfill your healthy dose of Bollywood cliches. The movie then takes a downhill trip with the second half where the antihero goes into Robin Hood mode and becomes the savior. This makes the movie a little unrealistic here and there and the ride bumpy.
Shah Rukh Khan looks his best in the movie and breaking his patent arms spreading pose, he is filled with fury and is breaking others arms. The film is entirely carried by SRK and when he is absent on screen, Nawazuddin does an excellent job of carrying the movie forward. Mahira Khan, the lead actress can be compared to eye candy, as she has been restricted to few emotional scenes and songs. Her purpose in the movie is to subtly soften the antihero, which is lost and not seen in the movie.
For short and crisp movie lovers, the film can feel a bit long unless you are an SRK fan and see the actor ‘raees’ to full glory!
