An intense drama like ‘Raid’ is a perfect recipe for an engaging film. Driven by Ajay Devgn, the franchise is both gripping and intriguing. You know that the hero is going to get the work done, and it’s now his journey that you are excited about. In ‘Raid 2’, the new film in the franchise, Devgn reprises the role of a no-nonsense, honest income tax officer, Amay Patnaik. But this time, we don’t see enough of Patnaik – we see a brooding Ajay Devgn.
‘Raid 2’ brings Riteish Deshmukh as Dadabhai, a powerful politician hailed as the people’s messiah in a fictional state called Bhoj. Patnaik’s entry into Dadabhai’s state signals trouble – a clash between two towering figures, both well-known and respected in their fraternities, and almost equally sharp and witty.
Raj Kumar Gupta, who directed the first film in the franchise, returns to helm the sequel. And there’s Saurabh Shukla reprising his iconic ‘Tauji’ who’s still serving his jail sentence. Vani Kapoor replaces Iliana D’Souza as Patnaik’s wife.
The film begins with a long shot of the convoy of Ambassador cars, led by Patnaik, arriving at a powerful politician’s palace. Govind Namdev plays this royal, womanising power-broker who not only hoards black money but also uses goons and guns to threaten government officers.
Devgn wears his signature aviators – even in the dark – because, of course, stardom! Government officers flee in fear when the politician flexes his muscles. We see how the film makes a fool of the department in that scene. But, we move on.
Patnaik is accused of accepting a bribe, and is transferred for the 74th time. Enter Dadabhai – a devoted mama’s boy who washes his mother’s feet with milk in a temple, someone who’s morally flawed but holds his mother’s blessings above all. Patnaik and Dadabhai’s clash completes the rest of the story – a cat-and-mouse chase where the honest officer must expose and extract illegal assets from one of the nation’s most adored political figures. It’s not just about a job that needs to be done, but about a dream that people have seen for and with Dadabhai, that needs to be broken.
‘Raid 2’ has a lot going on. It has more than two songs inserted to make it look more ‘filmy’, and a plot that needs tightening. The first half of the film builds up to Amay Patnaik’s smartness and his passion for duty. It also establishes him as a family man – a detail that doesn’t have any relevance in the story. But, even if you overlook the songs, the irrelevant characters, and the meandering narrative, you can’t help but notice how Devgn never truly lets Patnaik emerge as the hero of the film.
Raid 2 Ajay Devgn’s film crumbles under weight of his stardom
