This film is about the rise of a Robinhoodesque benevolent bootlegger from Gujarat, a celebration of the anti hero who finally succumbs to his deeds. Bootlegging is the worst kept secret of the only state in India which in papers is supposed to practice absolute Prohibition. This movie is about the nexus of the Bootelegger-Neta-Police-Consumer.

With a running time of around 144 min this one is fast paced, with great screenplay and has crisp and full on dialoguebaazi. What could have been definitely better was the music which kind of slows the pace and in some places feel forced, well the one wherein Ms. Leone features is definitely not the one I am talking about for that is for keeps.

Nawazuddin is brilliant as upright police officer who is perennially on the trail of Raees with his cat and mouse chase. Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub who like his previous outings once again plays his brilliant supporting role. Mahira Khan is good but had nothing much to offer to be what our Indian actress couldn’t deliver.

After the recent duds and becoming a kind of hate icon by the right wingers for his frank statements, SRK blows us with this amazing movie. It has the authentic feel of the period and the setting. It is like he is trying to prove a point to his detractors and he is successful in doing so. The whistles and the claps on his entry and dialogues proves he has a loyal fan base that includes me.

So like Raees says “दिन और रात तो लोगों के होते हैं, शेरों का तो ज़माना होता है”, go watch this movie because some bad Fridays don’t unmake a BADSHAH !!