Critics’ Verdict: The SRK vs Nawazuddin’s Chemistry Wins

Critics react to Shah Rukh Khan’s big release - ‘Raees’

Film: Raees
Director: Rahul Dholakia
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Mahira Khan

Take a look at the excerpts from reviews of Raees:

What stays with you, at the end of the show, is the equal-to-life portrayal of the sometimes-stubborn-sometimes-frazzled don. Glad to report that Shah Rukh Khan is back in excellent form. Eschewing glamorous trappings and dispensing with mannerisms of any kind, here’s a performance which affirms that he is capable of springing bravura surprises. Quite clearly Nawazuddin Siddiqui is uber terrific, smooth as a shot of a premium single malt besides being adept at belting out punch-lines with a Buster Keaton-like poker face. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub’s part is underwritten, reducing him to a flunkey. Yet the gifted actor never attempts to be intrusive, performing his reaction shots with restraint.

Khalid Mohamed (Spotboye.com)

Even as he succumbs to messiah status, Shah Rukh Khan delivers one of his most understated and enjoyable performances. His Raees is ruthless and single-minded – and human. Despite his chest-out walk and kohl-lined glare, Raees is only one among many villains. His presence doesn’t evoke hushed silence or immediate fear. Both Sadiq and Aasiya treat Raees as a breadwinner rather than a godfather, and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub’s lovely performance ensures that Sadiq holds his own against Raees.

Nandini Ramnath (Scroll.in)

So this is what we get: a Nawaz who is having the time of his life, and making us crack multiple grins, up against an SRK who breaks through in some moments (especially one in which he shares with his bete noire, when the film shuts everything else down so that we can focus on the duo ) but gets bogged down in florid, seen-too-many-times flourishes in the rest. That brief exchange makes us sigh for what might have been, and I will take it away.

Shubhra Gupta (Indian Express)