Raees

About the film

Raees (transl. Rich) is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language gangster action film directed by Rahul Dholakia and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, and Gauri Khan under Excel Entertainment and Red Chillies Entertainment. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Mahira Khan in her only Hindi acting credit. The film was reported to be based on the life of criminal Abdul Latif, however the makers have denied this claim. The film's soundtrack was composed by Ram Sampath, which received over 1.6 billion streams on YouTube.

Raees was released on 25 January 2017, coinciding with the Indian Republic Day, and received positive reviews from critics who praised the performances of Khan and Siddiqui, production design, cinematography, and visual effects. The film emerged as a moderate success at the box-office, becoming the 6th highest-grossing Hindi film of 2017. It was also the most pirated Hindi film of 2017.

Plot

In the 1960s in Fatehpur, Gujarat, Raees, a resourceful young boy, becomes involved in the illegal liquor trade. Guided by his mother’s belief that no occupation is inherently low, he begins working with his friend Sadiq for local gangster Jairaj. Raees soon proves his intelligence in smuggling operations and rises within the network. Eventually, he breaks away from Jairaj with the support of crime boss Musabhai and establishes his own liquor business, gaining influence in the community and political backing from both the state’s Chief Minister and opposition leader Pashabhai.

An honest police officer, ACP Majmudar, is transferred to Fatehpur and begins a crackdown on the liquor trade, targeting Raees. Despite repeated attempts, Raees continues to evade arrest, intensifying their rivalry. After surviving an assassination attempt by Jairaj, Raees kills him in retaliation. During this time, he marries his neighbour Aasiya, and the couple have a son.

Using his political connections, Raees arranges for Majmudar’s transfer and expands into a real-estate project. However, Majmudar continues to secretly monitor his activities. After a dispute with Pashabhai, Raees is briefly imprisoned as part of a political maneuver. Feeling betrayed when the Chief Minister and Pashabhai form an alliance, Raees enters local politics and wins an election with strong community support.

Production

Principal photography began in April 2015. The film was primarily shot in Mumbai, where sets were redesigned to recreate the slums of Ahmedabad. The final shooting schedule took place in Gujarat in January 2016. Despite protests, filming continued in Bhuj between January and February 2016 without major disruptions. The production also faced a clearance issue with the Archaeological Survey of India regarding permission to film at Sarkhej Roza.

Music

Ram Sampath composed the film score and songs. The soundtrack of the film was released by Zee Music Company.

The song "Laila Main Laila" from the 1980 film Qurbani was written by Indeevar, and was originally composed by Kalyanji–Anandji, sung by Kanchan, Amit Kumar, Chorus, was recreated for the film by composer Ram Sampath. Additional lyrics were written by Javed Akhtar.

As of October 2018, the soundtrack has received over 800 million streams on YouTube.

Marketing and release

Raees was promoted on several television shows, including The Kapil Sharma Show and Bigg Boss, and was also promoted in Dubai. Shah Rukh Khan and Sunny Leone also undertook a promotional train journey on the August Kranti Rajdhani Express from Mumbai to Delhi on 23–24 January 2017.

Raees was initially scheduled for release on 6 July 2016, coinciding with Eid. However, the release was postponed to avoid a box-office clash with Sultan, starring Salman Khan. The film was later rescheduled for 26 January 2017, coinciding with India’s Republic Day, which resulted in a clash with Kaabil, starring Hrithik Roshan. Both films were subsequently preponed by a day and released on 25 January 2017. Raees was released on approximately 3,500 screens worldwide.

Controversies

In March 2016, a legal notice was reportedly sent by Mustak Ahmed, the son of alleged gangster Abdul Latif, questioning why a film was being made based on his father's life.

Ankita Shorey was reportedly considered for the female lead role in the film before the part was eventually given to Mahira Khan. Shorey later stated that the decision was not related to nationality. Some media reports claimed that Shorey had been “replaced” and described her as having been “part of the project.” However, Shorey clarified that she had never referred to being “replaced” and that the phrase used in her interview was that she had been “strongly considered for the project.” The journalist who conducted the interview later issued an apology for the misquotation.

Farhan Akhtar stated that if the film had been produced after the terror attack, the makers would not have cast Mahira Khan. He added that expressions of solidarity with the Indian Army were a personal matter and that only the Indian government had the authority to provide guidance on such issues, rather than external groups.

Reception

Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and said director Dholakia "depicts the power play and the cat and mouse chase between Raees and the honest cop Jaideep with flourish and that, in my opinion, is the mainstay of the enterprise." Nihit Bhave of The Times of India rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "The movie can feel a bit long, but if you're going for a great SRK performance and some good ol' popcorn-entertainment, it might just 'raees' to the occasion." Devarshi Ghosh of India Today rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "The filmmaking is pure masala and this is one well-cooked masala movie. The story is not surprising, but Rahul Dholakia's treatment seems fresh."

Key details