A film on a Gangster, maybe real
Shahrukh Khan is one of the top 3 stars of Bollywood and a film with him as the hero generates big money. One also goes to see it knowing that here is a consummate actor who will do justice to his role. His popularity is immense and one can gauge it from the fact that while on a promotion tour by train from Mumbai to Delhi( he traveled by Rajdhani Express) the fans adulated him and massive crowds at stations greeted him. It is unfortunate that in the melee one man died of a heart attack,
but that is no reflection on the super-star.Coming to the film there was much hype about it. There was also some controversy as the son of the erstwhile Don Abdul Latif, the film was based on the life of his father. He has filed a Rs 100 crore claim for damages and compensation in court. One will have to wait and see what happens. The film is indeed a loosely knit tale on this gangster who was a Robin Hood and loved by the people.
Leaving the controversy aside, the film is an ordinary gangster movie. It has good direction and editing and the first half is really good. The story of a Don with a heart of gold has been told many times before and "Raees" is one
more film in the same category. The films' main draw is Shahrukh and he carries his superstar status with him. Ther was also some controversy about the female lead Mahira Khan. The Siv Sena led by the non-descript Raj had threatened to block the release as Mahira is a Pakistani.Luckily all this was sorted out and one can say the Mahira Khan is a lovely woman and an asset to the movie. She breathes the role as the gangster's wife. She is a real Punjabi beauty. Wish we can see more of her on the Bollywood screen.
The film also stars Nawab Siddique as the good and uncorrupt cop who finally shoots the gangster dead in a fake encounter. He is an actor with a different dimension and here also he steals the show even from the Khan. That's no mean achievement.
The music is passable and the direction OK. It's pretty pedestrian stuff, but the film is a Shahrukh vehicle and will garner good money at the box office. If someone wants escapist fiction, " Raees" is fine, but don't expect something great like say " Dangal".
