Raid 2 Review

The 2018 Indian Hindi crime thriller Raid was based on a real-life income-tax raid conducted by officers of the Income Tax Department on Sardar Inder Singh in the 1980s. The operation stood out for being the longest raid in Indian history. Its 2025 sequel, Raid 2, ups the ante in many ways - with higher stakes, more ruthless and cold-blooded villains, and especially more intricate raids. However, unlike the original, it is not based on any real-life incident - it's pure fiction. And while it leans more towards drama, it doesn't disappoint. Being untethered from reality allows it to explore more twists and turns.

IRS Officer Amay Patnaik (Ajay Devgn) returns after having seized Rs 4,200 crore across 73 raids. He's now transferred to Bhopal, where he takes on Dadabhai (Riteish Deshmukh), a far more strategic, cold-blooded and powerful adversary than Tauji (from the original, played by Saurabh Shukla). Dadabhai, now the Home Minister of the State, isn't just hoarding wealth through tax evasion - he's involved in multiple other crimes as well, including land grabs spanning hundreds of acres. What follows is a game of cat and mouse between the IRS officer and the corrupt minister.

Director Raj Kumar Gupta builds this sequel on a much grander scale, yet keeps it believable. As mentioned earlier, it's purely fictional, but Gupta's grounded treatment makes it feel real. Though the runtime is two hours and 20 minutes, most of it is focused on conducting raids, gathering evidence, arranging warrants, and other procedural elements. The film portrays the raids in a manner that's procedural and plausible, and avoids unnecessary slow-motion shots, exaggerated buildups or stylised action.

Most of the original cast returns. Devgn feels more real in this fictional raid than he did in the real-life-based original. He appears brooding, intense, sweaty and determined - at his natural best, both in performance and presence. Saurabh Shukla is perfect as Tauji, who is now jailed and is plotting his parole - he has now made peace with his downfall, and even finds joy in watching others' properties being raided. Amit Sial's role as "Charan Chumbak" Lallan Sudheer Singh, the comical Income Tax Commissioner, is expanded in this installment. He promises not to raid and may even seem open to bribes - but eventually does raid, much to the villain's dismay.

Several new faces however join in - veterans like Govind Namdev, Yashpal Sharma and Supriya Pathak, and Deshmukh himself. And it is the latter as Dadabhai who takes centrestage in this one. Portraying a revered philanthropist by day and a corrupt schemer in private, Deshmukh delivers a solid performance, returning convincingly to his villainous avatar. The face-off between Devgn and Deshmukh is the highlight. Their attempts to outwit each other are engaging and often amusing.

Also standing out is Kunwar (Namdev) - ferocious, filthy rich, and a narcissist. However, despite a strong new ensemble, it's someone left out that stands out. Ileana D'Cruz played Malini (Patnaik's wife) in the original. The character remains in the sequel, but is now played by Vaani Kapoor. The Ileana-Devgn pairing felt natural, while the Devgn-Vaani duo feels forced, mainly due to the visible age gap. The change in casting is not addressed in the film, and Ileana seems to be actively working in other projects.

Sudhir Chaudhary's cinematography deserves praise. He makes everyday objects look extraordinary and captures the inventive ways in which cash and valuables are hidden and uncovered. The cast and sets aren't overly glammed up (with the exception of the item numbers), which makes his work stand out more.

Amit Trivedi's background score is functional, but the song sequences feel unnecessary. And Bollywood's Punjabi obsession continues unchecked - neither Patnaik nor his wife is Punjabi, yet there's a romantic song in the language. If you understand Punjabi, you might find the lyrics jarring, too - especially since they depict yearning lovers, even though the couple is already married. There's one item number by Tamannaah Bhatia and another Honey Singh-style track during the end credits. Both are well-choreographed but feel out of place.

If you loved Raid, you'll likely enjoy Raid 2 as well. The raids may be fictional, but the performances will keep you hooked. And near the film's end, there's a twist: Tauji meets Dadabhai in jail, and Dadabhai meets Kunwar at a party - hinting that Raid 3 is in the works, with even more thrills.