Top 100 Bollywood Movies of All Time: No.45 - "Raees", A Great Experience For The Audience

Ariana Linh |Jul 05, 2019

The Top 100 Bollywood Movies of All Time lister, "Raees", directed by Rahul Dholakia and starring Shah Rukh Khan, has great actors and premise, and despite the questionable second-half, it's still a great package.

Rahul Dholakia's directorial Raees featuring Shah Rukh Khan, tells a fascinating story of the main character with the same name. We enjoy the movie through Raees's eyes, from a young boy to adulthood, from rags to controlling his own empire of booze trade.

In the end, Raees rose from being a small-time bootlegger to become a mafia. Let's see if this movie deserves to be in the Top 100 Bollywood Movies of All Time list.

Shah Rukh Khan breathes life into the main character

Shah Rukh Khan once again put his magic on the character, as the actor was able to put a dashing and gallant touch unto a ruthless killer. One look at Raees and anyone would think he's a decent guy who has a wife that loves him and a wholesome family where he comes back to every day.

No one would think he is capable of murder, but as we can see in the movie, he does, a lot. He's also manipulative and dangerous, and such qualities just define him such a magnificent figure.

Rae Shah — Shah Rukh Khan is a great actor, and he didn't disappoint in "Raees".

Raees: A great rivalry that keeps the film going strong

But what is a protagonist without his nemesis? That's where Majmudar, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, comes into play. The presence of Majmudar, a police officer who has his eyes set on taking Raees down, and their relationship is most definitely the film's high point.

Raees's first half is riveting, as we watch the mafia leader expands his empire through wits and brawl, all the while stopping Majmudar's pursuit.

Rae Naw — Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays a worthy adversary to Khan's "Raees".

A choppy second-half and underused talents

However, the rest of the movie doesn't quite hold up. In an attempt to make Raees more likable, and to keep Shah Rukh Khan's heroic image, the director turned him from the full-fledged villain into an anti-hero. Raees' transition into a Robin Hood figure doesn't work well, and the film suffers.

Adding salt to injuries, unlike Nawazuddin, the other supporting cast doesn’t have it as good. Mahira Khan as Raees’ love interest is confident but ultimately uninspired.

Rae Khan — Mahira Khan plays Raees's love interest, but the character wasn't fully utilized.

Meanwhile, the wonderful Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub suffers an underwritten role of being Khan's sidekick.

Rae Sidekick — Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub (in orange) performed amazingly but is dumped down as Khan's sidekick.

Final verdict

That being said, Raees is a well-made film that was carried in most part by King Khan himself like many his other films. Although there's more to be desired, it offers a great experience to the audience.

Some trivia of the film

Upon released, Raees was a critical and commercial success, becoming the 6th highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2017. Ankita Shorey was the first choice to be Raees' love interest, but Mahira Khan got the role in the end.

Rae Ankita — *Ankita Shorey was originally expected to play Raees's love interest. Source: mrpopat.in*

Just a few days before its premiere, the National General Secretary of BJP categorized Raees as a "dishonest" and "anti-national" film. The regulatory body and censorship board of Pakistan banned the film, termed it as having "objectionable content".

To conclude, Shah Rukh Khan has proved his extraordinary acting mettle through every of his film. The Top 100 Bollywood Movies of All Time lister Raees deserves to be a must in the list of your favorite films.