Raid 2 is a must-watch thriller that betters the original

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Amey Patnaik is back! This intrepid individual made of integrity, income-tax (revenue) officer, after 74 transfers due to his honesty (!), has now been transferred the 75^th time! Because, for the first time in his career, he has asked for a bribe—of two crore!

Amey (Ajay Devgn) is now posted in Bhoj in Rajasthan, where a demi-god, Dada Bhai—real name Manohar Sarang (Riteish Deshmukh) is loved by the masses for his humble origins (a cobbler) and his relentless pursuit of welfare for the common man. He has won an election on all these aspects and now runs a “Foundation” that further helps the people work and earn.

The high-point is that he worships his mother, Amma (Supriya Pathak Kapur), worshipping whose feet are more important than any deity for him.

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Amey’s team includes Geeta (Shruti Pandey), a long-standing fan of the officer, and they are all loyal to him. Soon, Amey senses that Dada Bhai is far from clean, and decides to trap him. But it’s an uphill task indeed, for a battery of circumstances are against him, including the people who stand by the leader. Amma too refuses to believe that her son can do any wrong. Finally, Amey is suspended when he raids Dada Bhai and finds nothing, and his successor, Lallan (Amit Sial) is open to “negotiation” from Dada Bhai on money matters!

Amey’s wife (Vaani Kapoor) finally plays a crucial role as Amey’s relentless efforts, despite being suspended, brings forth new revelations to show the world the true face of Dada Bhai. A solid climax that is also logical helps in his decimation.

Director-co-writer Raj Kumar Gupta has truly evolved after the first Raid, and maintains a welcome openness to realistic mainstream entertainment. One item number (Nasha by the Stree 2 of such songs—Tamannaah Bhatia!) is inculcated well into the script, while the hyped Money money is used imaginatively in the end-credits. The script (co-authored by Gupta with the older film’s writer, Ritesh Shah as well as Jaideep Yadav, Karan Vyas and Akshat Tiwari) is gritty, packed with skilled suspense and twists, and there is never a dull moment in the 139-minute drama.

The family scenes are few, natural if predictable and the characters are wonderfully etched. Meanwhile, Amey’s older victim, Tauji (Saurabh Shukla), still languishing in jail after Amey’s Raid (2018) on him, watches with whimsical and reluctant admiration as Amey goes through his movements—and moments!—in the battle against Dada Bhai.

A bevy of strong performances bolster the film, whose technical grade is also kept very high. Sudhir K. Chaudhary’s cinematography lifts the film even more, and this is one of those rare films where sequels better the originals. The background score by Amit Trivedi is another asset.

Ajay Devgn’s Amey is plain fabulous, his eyes yet again speaking volumes, his lines powerful, but he should watch his occasional slip into a gruff diction that is not fully audible. Vaani Kapoor sails through Malini’s character with ease, and somewhere, frankly, I was glad that she has replaced the actress in the earlier film. She looks more like the character she is supposed to be: ardent and yet caring.

Riteish Deshmukh’s Dada Bhai is fantastic as well. His few gray and negative turns have always come across as full of force. Saurabh Shukla as Tauji, Amit Sial as Lallan, and Supriya Pathak as Amma are magnificent. Shruti Pandey and the chubby member of Amey’s force are both superb in their roles. Seasoned old timers Rajat Kapoor (as Amey’s boss), Govind Namdeo (as the man from whom the bribe is asked), Brijendra Kala and Yashpal Sharma are very effective in their briefer roles.

This one’s not to be missed.

Rating: ****1/2

T-Series Films’ and Panorama Studios’ Raid 2  Produced by: Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Kumar Mangat Pathak & Abhishek Pathak  Directed by: Raj Kumar Gupta Written by: Ritesh Shah, Raj Kumar Gupta, Jaideep Yadav, Karan Vyas & Akshat Tiwari  Music: Amit Trivedi, White Noise Collective (Sachin-Jigar), Yo Yo Honey Singh, Rochak Kohli (with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) & Sachet-Parampara, with original songs used of Laxmikant-Pyarelal and Bappi Lahiri  Starring: Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Vaani Kapoor, Amit Sial, Saurabh Shukla, Supriya Pathak Kapur, Rajat Kapur, Brijendra Kala, Shruti Pandey, Yashpal Sharma, Govind Namdeo, Sp. App: Yo Yo Honey Singh, Jacqueline Fernandez & Tamannaah Bhatia

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