By Shabnam Naveen Akhter

Aaa raha hoon se finally Aa Gayaa Hoon… and with style… The return of Angry Young Man!!

A small time bootlegger, very honest to his dhanda makes it big in the land of dry state. Koi dhanda chhota nahi hota aur dhande se bada koi dharm nai hota… these words have gone down in the history of Indian Cinema..  SRK at one of his most constrained, most mature performances since Chak De. He’s moved away from being SRK to play Raees (imagine no signature open arms). His demeanor is gray yet charismatic as local Robin Hood who does not mess with anyone except with people who minds his Business (in the literal sense). A frishta to the muhhollewala but an azaab to the wrong doers!

The expression on his face, the look of triumph and that of dismay, the calculated but deep smiles, the sharp piercing stare and then a turn of his lips into a sly smile. Perfect!

Bringing out the essence of  true Gujarat, jahaanki hawa mein bhi vyapaar hai, using ‘baniye ka dimaag’, he thinks, breaths and lives his business but never at the cost of hurting anyone until he is deceitfully made party in a bigger grave crime. Here comes out the ‘miyaa bhai ki daring’ and what you see is just bloodshed to protect his family and honor.

His brilliance in playing the accused who’s more of a victim brings out sheer excellence.  He proves that he still is and will remain the Badshaah of them all.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui as big the name is, so is his talent. This man is flawless. Sharing almost equal screen space with SRK, he makes you hate him for doing his part so well. The cat and mouse game keeps the audience enticed and one wishes for more. Mahira is ‘ Maahir’ in the part she played, well her career shuru and khatm with Raees, so no gain and a huge  loss for this zaalima!!

Rahul Dholakia is now a specialist in making movies on Gujarat – isn’t he!!The movie is made on a gray scale and expecting a Karan Johar from a Rahul Dholakia would be a heartbreak. But having said that, expecting a Raees from SRK is a treat. This man never ceases to amaze you!

When one is just settled with him doing the likes of a Dilwale, a Happy New Year, and a Chennai Express, he emerges as Raees to demonstrate that koi role chota ya bada nahi hota, aur SRK se bada koi performer nahi hoga!!

The movie shot mostly in darker shades and one wishes a little brighter side [though the brighter side of the movie is really Sunny (Leone ;)], it’s worth the watch.

Ameer toh harr koi ban sakte hain, par Raees toh sirf Badshah hi hote hain!! Well for fans like me –  Uske kaayal hone ke liye, na hi ‘baniiye ka dimaag’ chahiye aur naahi ‘maiyaabhai ki daring’.. bas ekk dil hi kaafi hai.. His charisma and energy are contagious as this ‘Battery’ truly never drains!

Long but who cares.. You get to see him a little longer. For a diehard fan, its hard to see him meet a tragic end; but kehte hain na.. agar happy ending na ho to ‘picture abhi baaki hai mere dost’..

Ammeeron ke toh din aur raat hote hain, par Raees ka to zamanaa hota hai.. so don’t wait and go watch!