Raees

Awards

Song Awards:
• 2017 - Screen Awards - Best Male Playback Singer - O Zaalima - Arijit Singh
• 2017 - Zee Cine Awards - Best Lyrics - O Zaalima - Amitabh Bhattacharya

Trivia

Album

• It is believed that this film was based on the life of the Ahmedabad-based criminal Abdul Latif who ran illegal liquor businesses in Gujarat in the 1980s and 1990s. Latif's son Mushtaq Sheikh filed a case of defamation against the makers of the film in April 2016. The lawsuit claimed that the makers of the film had met Latif's family in 2014 to gather information about him. Sheikh sought Rs. 101 crores as damages and asked for a stay on the film's release and its promotions. The Gujarat High Court asked Sheikh to watch the film before making these claims. In December 2016, Sheikh threatened a legal case against the filmmakers but it appears that he did not follow through with it. The makers of the film always maintained that it was a work of fiction.[1][2]
• Shia religious groups objected to a scene in the film's trailer in which Shah Rukh Khan's character jumped over a procession carrying flags considered sacred by Shias. Leaders of the Shia community sought an apology from Shah Rukh and the filmmakers and demanded that the scene be removed from the film. They threatened protests and legal action if their demands were not met. The film went on to be banned in Pakistan due to its "objectionable" content. It is believed that Pakistan's Censor Board deemed the film to portray Islam and the Shia community in poor light.[3][4]
• Portions of the film were shot in Gujarat. Its shooting in the state was met with various disruptions. Activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad protested against Shah Rukh Khan for his remarks on "intolerance" in India. In one incident, the actor's car was pelted with stones. The film's scheduled shooting at the Sarkhej Roza mosque and tomb complex in Ahmedabad had to be postponed after it was determined that the makers had failed to get approval from the Archaeological Survey of India.[5][6][7]
• The film industry was abuzz with reports of the box office clash between this film, starring Shah Rukh Khan, and "Sultan" (2016), starring Salman Khan. Both the films were originally scheduled to be released in July 2016 on the day of Eid. Eventually, however, this film was postponed and "Sultan" (2016) was released as planned. Shah Rukh explained that this was done to ensure that each film got released in at least 3500 theatres in one go. The actor said that they also had a day's shooting remaining and the postponement gave them some time to complete it. The change in plan resulted in the film clashing with "Kaabil" (2016) instead - both films ended up being released on January 25, 2017. This created bad blood between Shah Rukh and the Roshan family. It was reported that Rakesh Roshan, who produced "Kaabil" (2016), was unhappy about the clash and felt that it could have been avoided if the makers of this film had planned better. Roshan was also unhappy with the number of theatres his film was released in. He said that there was an unwritten agreement in place to ensure that the two films were released on the same number of screens. He claimed, however, that the distributors had gone back on their word and changed the split to 60:40 in favour of this film.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
• This was the debut Hindi film of the Pakistani actress Mahira Khan. Her inclusion in the film put a question mark on its release when, following the 2016 Uri Attack, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) called for a ban on all films featuring Pakistani actors. MNS later withdrew its objection against the release of this film since it had been shot before the attack.[15]
• Music director Ram Sampath stopped working for Hindi films after this film. He was unhappy that despite working on the film for more than 2 years, another composer, JAM8, was brought in to record songs for it. The filmmakers also refused to accept any of the original options the composer presented for a dance song. Sampath was forced to record a re-created version of a song from "Qurbani" (1980) instead. What made matters worse was that it was this re-created song that was promoted the most while his original compositions were ignored. A few years after the release of the film, Sampath opened up about his decision to quit films. He talked about how making music for films was a frustrating experience due to favouritism and unprofessionalism.[16][17][18]
• Farhan Akhtar was originally supposed to play the role that was eventually played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. It was reported in 2014 that Akhtar had opted out due to his busy schedule. However, the actor revealed during the trailer launch of "Wazir" (2015) that he chose to not work in the film to avoid playing similar roles in quick succession.[19][20][21]
• Pritam's production company JAM8 made its Hindi film debut with three songs in this film.

Song

• Laila Main Laila - This was a recreated version of a song from the film "Qurbani" (1980). The original song was composed by Kalyanji - Anandji, written by Indeevar, and sung by Kanchan and Amit Kumar.[22]
• Laila Main Laila - Sunny Leone made a cameo appearance in the film for this song.
• Enu Naam Chhe Raees - Hiral Brahmbhatt debuted as a lyricist in this song.
• Halka Halka Hai Mujhe Tera Nasha - This song was edited out of the film and not included in its original audio release. The song and its video were released separately after the film's release.

1. ^ Abdul Latif's son filed case against makers of Raees and Shah Rukh Khan
2. ^ Shah Rukh Khan's Raees lands in trouble again; Abdul Latif's son Mushtaq Shaikh to take legal action against makers
3. ^ Shia leaders claim SRK's Raees disrespects their religious beliefs, threaten to protest across India
4. ^ Shah Rukh Khan's Raees banned in Pakistan for showing Muslims in 'negative light'
5. ^ VHP protests shooting of Shah Rukh Khan's Raees in Bhuj over intolerance
6. ^ Shah Rukh Khan attacked by VHP activists during Raees shoot in Ahmedabad
7. ^ ASI stops Shah Rukh Khan's 'Raees' shoot in Ahmedabad
8. ^ Sultan vs Raees: No clash between Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan's Eid 2016 films?
9. ^ Shah Rukh Khan gives two reasons why Raees was not released with Sultan
10. ^ Raees Vs Kaabil: My father is hurt, says Hrithik Roshan
11. ^ An angry Rakesh Roshan HITS OUT at Shah Rukh Khan and team Raees again!
12. ^ Raees vs Kaabil: Shah Rukh Khan responds to Rakesh Roshan's angry claims
13. ^ Sultan (2016)
14. ^ Kaabil (2016)
15. ^ Shah Rukh Khan's Dear Zindagi, Raees won't face opposition from MNS
16. ^ Shots are called by a few interconnected families with a few rare exceptions: Ram Sampath
17. ^ It is people like Shah Rukh Khan who can make a difference: Sona Mohapatra reacts to 'Zaalima' controversy
18. ^ Sona Mohapatra says husband Ram Sampath quit films after Raees' Laila: 'Industry only churning remixes'
19. ^ Nawazuddin to replace Farhan Akhtar in SRK starrer Raees
20. ^ Revealed: the reason why Nawazuddin replaced Farhan in Shah Rukh's 'Raees'
21. ^ Wazir (2015)
22. ^ Laila O Laila (Qurbani, 1980)