Review: Raid 2 - Plain But Effective

 

 

Movie: Raid 2
Rating: 3/5

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Amit Sial, Vani Kapoor, and others

Director: Rajkumar Gupta

Produced By: T-Series and Panorama Studios

Release Date: May 1, 2025

Story:

Raid 2 continues the story of the honest IRS officer Amay Patnaik (Ajay Devgn) as he pursues a new enemy, Dadabhai (Riteish Deshmukh), who pretends to be a good person but is actually deceitful and corrupt to the core.

Performances:

Ajay Devgn is perfect as the IRS officer Amay Patnaik. He does not do anything out of character and continues the same impact of the original part. Riteish Deshmukh is fantastic as the cool and cunning Dada Bhai. The way both these actors complement each other in confrontational scenes is a treat to watch. Vani Kapoor gets only a few scenes, and her character is almost forgettable. Supritha Pathak is good as the doting mother of the villain. Saurabh Shukla, the menacing Tauji from the first part, returns for a few scenes and provides fun whenever he appears. Amit Sial is excellent as the sidekick of the hero in a quirky way.

What worked for the film:

The film, directed by Rajkumar Gupta, does not try to do anything pathbreaking from the original film and tries to follow its footsteps. It gets into a perfect rhythm from the interval and continues to impress in the second half with an interesting game between the hero and villain. The climax is also good and has a good effect. Also, the dialogues provide good relief and add to the effect. You find humor and joy in the hero's lines, like 'When did I say I was a Pandav? I am the whole Mahabharata,' or 'The government can be run by anyone, but it's people like you and me who run the department,' or 'You don't always need to attack the palace to catch the king'—these' lines shine and enhance the story.

What did not work for the film:

The first of the film is too basic. The buildup to the hero and his team is not that effective, as we already know what he and his fellow officers can do because of the first part. The interaction between Amay Patnaik and Dada Bhai in the initial stages could have been better. The songs are completely unnecessary in the film, be it the romance song or the item song featuring Tamannaah. Also, if we compare with the first part, the film just falls short on maintaining the gripping impact from start to end.

Raid 2 Review and Verdict:

Rajkumar Gupta's Raid 2 is a faithful remake. Although it falls short of its forerunner, it creates its own tempo in the latter part. Ajay Devgn maintains the quality from the original film, and Riteish Deshmukh impresses as the composed antagonist.