Review
Shah Rukh Khan's *Raees* is a film caught between two competing impulses, and neither emerges entirely victorious. On one hand, Rahul Dholakia attempts a grittier, more socially conscious narrative—a smuggler's rise through the Gujarat underworld, anchored by Khan's weathered, magnetic performance. On the other, the film wants to be a romantic melodrama about class struggle and moral redemption, which pulls it toward the very Bollywood sentimentality it seems to resist. Khan himself is the film's greatest asset; there's a weariness and pragmatism to his portrayal that recalls his work in *Don 2*, and his chemistry with Mahira Khan crackles with genuine tension. But the supporting cast—particularly Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the cop antagonist—feels underutilized, and the narrative meanders between crime thriller and domestic family drama without fully committing to either. Compare this to Anurag Kashyap's *Gangs of Wasseypur*, which juggled similar tonal complexities with far greater control, or even to Vishal Chhapaak's later explorations of moral ambiguity.
Where *Raees* stumbles most painfully is in its third act, where it abandons its harder edges for a redemptive arc that feels unearned and convenient. The film wants Khan's character to be sympathetic despite his criminal enterprise, yet it never interrogates the violence or corruption with the rigor such a premise demands. The romance with Mahira Khan, while beautifully shot, functions more as a plot device than a genuine
Storyline
Kanhaiya's an orphaned nobody with nothing but dreams, so when he lands the chance to marry Radha—daughter of a wealthy family—he grabs it with both hands! But the moment they tie the knot, Ramesh, the rich man's son, goes absolutely ballistic, convinced this poor guy is totally unworthy and unfit for his sister. He manipulates, he schemes, he pulls every family string he can find to break them apart, dragging in relatives left and right to turn the household against Kanhaiya!
Here's where it gets brilliant—Radha refuses to budge! She sees straight through the snobbery and actually recognizes the gold in her husband's character, his decency, his heart. While Ramesh keeps pushing and plotting, Radha's doubling down on her love, watching Kanhaiya work tirelessly to prove himself despite the constant disrespect. It's this beautiful moment where she realizes her family's obsession with money is completely hollow compared to what she has with him.
So Radha does the unthinkable—she walks away from all that luxury and privilege with Kanhaiya and their child, choosing real love over inherited wealth! They start fresh, building their own little world from scratch, and honestly? That's when the real happiness begins. It's such a gorgeous reminder that true worth has nothing to do with your bank balance!