The King is back! And he is back with a real big Bang... after a long time, SRK is back to his best... what a movie! Stunning! Superlative stuff! Welcome back, Shahrukh Khan ... after a long series of movies that failed to impress me - good to see the old SRK we all 40-somethings grew up with! Fantastic movie! This movie was a long time coming; you made us wait one hell of a long time; but when you returned – you did so with supreme panache, classy attitude, letting no one forget that there is only one Big Boss of Hindi Movies – and that is the one and only Shahrukh Khan!
Raees The Movie - FB : Raees The Film
Make no mistake – Raees is Shahrukh Khan from the first scene to the last, this is his return as far as I am concerned; the ultimate entertainer, the showman of the 90s and 00s is back again after a long hiatus! This is the Shahrukh Khan we all loved to watch in college and our 20s … the King, the Boss, the one with the attitude and screen presence to beat almost everyone, save the one and only {I, of course, refer to Amitabh Bachhan}; this movie is a full-on entertainer in classic Shahrukh Style, with Shahruklh doing what he is unmatched at : playing the Anti-Hero! Who among us fans can forget Darr or Baazigar?
THE STORY
I wont tell you. And if you want to enjoy, don’t read or watch reviews that tell its story, period. So there!
THE CHARACTERS
Raees – Played by the King, SRK…. Anti-Hero… for the rest, find out yourself!
Jaideep Majmudar – Played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tough Cop, IPS, is out for Raees come hell or high weather!
Jairaj – Played by Atul Kulkarni… mentor, crook, smart guy in that order
Aasiya – Played by Mahira Khan, Raees Wife, Confidant, Strength and Cohort
Musabhai – Played by Narendra Jha, Criminal Tycoon…
THE PERFORMANCES
I have mentioned the screen presence & attitude of Shahrukh Khan; but the two people who steal the show are Atul Kulkarni, with a superbly controlled performance, true to his by-now inimitable and powerful style {Premachi Goshte in Marathi is his best performance till date; this one comes very close} and – Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Now this man, I have to admit, stands upto Raees throughout. Sure, the script is a strong factor in his favour; but remember this is a SRK film, with a role tailormade to SRKs strongest point. Nawaz has faced upto and matched SRK throughout, balancing his presence and depth with a strong performance with awesome control and elan! Take a bow, Nawaz!
The controversial Mahira Khan – well, I don’t really want to praise her, due to her nationality… but I am a fair man. Credit where credit is due…. She fits in to the role, and makes it believable. Effortless performance, she made her mark in a movie dominated by one personality. And last but not the least – Shahrukh Khan… man, what a comeback! A dominating screen presence, no hamming whatsoever, complete unlike some other movies; incredible intensity, depth and range I did not think he had anymore, not after movies like Swades where we all fell for him bigtime!
THE SCRIPT
First of all, thank you for writing a script that is near flawless; the background, the characters, the taut narrative are all spot-on. There are those who may disagree; I can only say I go to the movies to enjoy, not get tense. And this script delivers… big time. And I really enjoyed the mix of Hindu and Muslim characters; Indian cinema is finally coming of age when we can portray Muslim dominated characters and stories on screen, which is a far cry from the 40s and 50s when people had to change their names to Hindu names! It felt realistic, refreshing, and good to see! Well done!
THE MUSIC
This is the big score; and this, coming from me, is a big praise. I haven’t liked a Hindi song for longer than I can recall; 95% of my repertoire comprises Marathi songs. But it is for the first time after Main Hoon Naa {SRK Again, what can I say?} that I am listening to the songs {even as I type} which is a big first. The music is mesmerizing, haunting and unbelievably classy! A very strong reason for the superlative review I am writing is due to the music. The best number? Hard to state; they are all great…. But I loved Zaalima, Khwaahishon Ki Dua and Saanson Ke. A small word for the background score : I clearly remember the opening tones as the movie started, and recall thinking, this should be good; and this is a first in my memory. The background score also shines, and adds to the tautness and the intensity of the movie throughout!
1) Saanso Ke
2) Zaalima
THE CONCLUSION
You will read average and not-so-good takes on this movie; my advise – Ignore these reviews; watch the movie and decide for yourselves. This movie is a great entertainer, not too over the top, has tremendous music {Now that is an understatement; the music is out of this world!}, a taut and tight script; and superb performances all round from nearly every character. It is not too stressful; loaded with action and hits you hard with the intensity of the overall finished product. And if you are, like me, someone who grew up on the films of Shahrukh Khan, and pine for the vintage SRK – this is for you.
Even if you are not like me, and enjoy a good entertainer; or a classy action movie; or a simply well packaged entertainment product – go for it. You can watch it with family; it is enjoyable and good stuff throughout. This isn’t as good as Shivaay, which was and is in a class of its own; but this is nonetheless a really, really good movie. And, like Shivaay, this can be watched again and again, especially due to its tremendous music score, hats off. Take a bow, Team Raees! Well done – and welcome Back, King!
Thanks!
ReplyDelete