One should make the film he wishes without any fear, says Raees director Rahul Dholakia

Five years of life. I have done nothing else during this period. I rarely go to parties. When I did and the host asked who are you bringing with you? I used to say: ‘I am bringing Raees’. The research of the movie, its writing, location scouting, production design and shooting had taken over my life.

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What was most challenging about putting this movie together?

Every stage was challenging, you have to create a whole world and we were not adapting someone’s book. Fortunately, my co-writers, Harit Mehta and Ashish Vashi, are journalists based in Ahmedabad. They had done their research and could share a lot of stories and anecdotes. For each aspect of the film, references were different. For instance, to create the set we had to go from Surat to Vadodara, Bhuj and other parts of Gujarat, looking at Muslim architecture and influences that exist in old cities. Referring to these designs and architecture, we created the mohallas and colour palette for the film. Since the story spans from the ’70s to the ’90s, we had to keep the detailing in mind. The same detailing was also required in the costumes, make-up and even sound designing, while keeping in mind that it is a commercial film.

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When the trailer of Raees released, some believed Shah Rukh Khan’s look stereotypes a Muslim character.

I don’t think it is a stereotypical representation of a Muslim man’s look. We should not forget that he is playing a Muslim character in the ’80s. He does not wear pathan suits always; he wears trousers and shirt too. The film shows his character in three different stages of his life. At one stage, you will find him wearing boots with zips. For me, creating his character was most crucial after the story.

You say Raees is not based on Abdul Latif’s life. What got you interested in this period?

We are creating an original story. I am a fan of gangster movies, especially those made by Martin Scorsese. Some of my friends have liquor stores and they suggested that I do a film on prohibition. The liquor lobby wants to fund a subject like this set in India and since they are not allowed to advertise, they would do their product placement. Choosing the subject of prohibition meant taking the story to Gujarat as Bihar was not facing it then. And I wanted to set the story in Gujarat before 2002, because after that it becomes Narendra Modi’s Gujarat. It also had to be set after 1960, when it split from the Bombay Presidency.

It was not titled Raees at first. We thought of Dry Day, Hooch and Prohibition before deciding on Raees. It is a drama which has a Robin Hood-like gangster and touches upon politics and the state’s culture.

When you made Lamha after Perzania, some critics did not like the commercial approach you had adopted.

Everyone has a different opinion. Today, I don’t know who is a critic. Some people write from the trade point of view; some express their views in the form of a letter to their grandma.

Perzania did not have any songs.

For Raees, you have released three songs already, including Sunny Leone dancing to Laila Main Laila. Songs are often incorporated into films due to the demands of the producers who claim it is the demand of the distributors. The distributors cite it as the demand of the audience. However, Sunny is not doing an item number in Raees. It is part of the narrative. Would you call Mehbooba Mehbooba from Sholay an item number? In the movie, we are still in a real zone. Yet, the script of Raees lends itself to a big-budget film.

Watch | Sunny Leone dancing to Laila Main Laila

One of the lead actors of Raees, Mahira Khan can’t be part of the promotions in India. Do you wish things were different?

I don’t want to upset anybody. It is the producer’s call how to promote a film. Quite honestly, it is unfair to the actress and the filmmakers. But if for some reason we have let that go, then we have to do that.

Also read | Shah Rukh Khan spoilt me: Mahira Khan confessed she cried as she couldn’t promote Raees

Did Shah Rukh Khan meeting Raj Thackeray come as a surprise?

It is not the first time Shah Rukh met him. I am sure they socialise and party. I am sure Shah Rukh interacts with Uddhav Thackeray as well as other politicians. The meeting grabbed attention as it happened after the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil controversy.

Do you believe you could have made Perzania today?

I believe so. It depends on what you want to make. It might be tougher and more challenging, but one should make the film he/she wishes without any fear. Things have changed and people are over-sensitive regarding certain things. But by and large, we are good to go.