Shah Rukh Khan's Raees opens in theaters tomorrow. The Rahul Dholakia directed drama also stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Mahira Khan in key roles. Our in-house film critic Sreeju Sudhakaran is watching the movie at a press show, and the first half just got over. Here is what he has to say about how Raees is so far...
After a delayed release and riding on so much anticipation, Raees is finally here. We are blown away by the first teaser that came one and a half year back, the trailer was equally good and now it's time to see how the final product looks like. Before I give you my take on the first half of the movie, here's what it was all about....
Ever since he was a child, Raees always had the Zen to do business of illegal liquor. Gujarat is a dry state, but alcohol manages to find its way somehow to the needy, thanks to people like Raees. But he believes that there is nothing good or bad about the business unless it harms people. However the way he conducts business makes him the enemy of his own mentor, played by Atul Kulkarni and ACP Majumdar, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
It's great to see Shah Rukh Khan in an angry young man mode, something he was so known for in the early '90s, before Rahul and Raj took over. He certainly brings the aggression and body language right for the part. However it was, without any doubt, Nawazuddin Siddiqui who is the real scenestealer. From his Michael Jackson aping entry scene to his 'Raees Ko main nahin chodunga' line just before interval, the man is in top form, leaving us in splits. Raees belongs to these two.
However, while making Raees and Majumdar strong, Raees' love story with his girlfriend gets shortchanged. Also there are three songs that act like speed breakers. The interval comes at a point when Raees does something even his conscience doesn't agree. While the first half looks like a typical '70s style like gangster drama, we do hope this action of his makes the second half go off in an unexpected direction.
