Raid 2

Story: Raid 2 follows the return of fiercely honest and incorruptible IRS officer Amay Patnaik (Ajay Devgn), as he goes after yet another powerful nemesis — Dadabhai (Riteish Deshmukh), who’s a snake in the garb of a saint.

Review: Relentless Patnaik (Devgn) is a thorn in the lives of the corrupt. He is the party pooper of the privileged who think they can evade law and hence, the chemistry and conflict that unravel once he goes digging has a comic-thrilling element to it. One does not expect efficiency or honesty from public servants let alone heroism and hence the anomaly makes for an interesting watch.

The second time around, Raj Kumar Gupta mounts his crime drama on a bigger scale. A brooding Patnaik dressed in formals, enjoys Singham like slowmo entry, glamour and clout. He can be transferred or suspended but he is always in power much against the odds. Ritiesh Deshmukh makes for an interesting no-nonsense, white collared antihero Dadabhai. He is a prodigal son, revered philanthropist and a powerful political leader. He is too good to be true and that leads Patnaik to go sniffing after his massive empire and assets. The two outsmart each other in a series of deceitful activities but only one can emerge victorious.

Riteish keeps the character, and his sinister energy understated. He makes for a fine nemesis. Shukla works his magic in a special appearance, but you sorely miss his presence throughout. It was the senior actor who owned the previous film single-handedly with his wit and one-liners. His jugalbandi with Devgn fuelled the film.
The sequel set in the late 1980’s, Raid 2 fangirls its own prequel by following a template so meticulously that it forgets to have some fun along the way. A fleet of ambassador cars aggressively heading for a raid is a visual that stays constant. At 2 hours, 20 minutes, the film feels heavy too. The first half is unhurried, it’s the second half that gets the wit, energy and thrill in place. Songs interrupt the story.

Gupta reunites with his set of actors and writers, barring a few. Ileana D'Cruz, is replaced by Vaani Kapoor as Patnaik’s wife Malini. Saurabh Shukla as Tauji takes a backseat for Ritiesh Deshmukh to take the centre stage. Supriya Pathak as Dadabhai’s mother is a new addition too. Amit Sial as ‘Charan chumbak’ Lallan Sudheer Singh is an absolute riot.

Ajay Devgn and his sunglasses are intense. He portrays the old-school heroism with swag. He has a solid comic timing too. You wish that aspect was explored more here. The film has some clever one-liners too that mock the sycophants and the corrupt as it oscillates between no frills and old school dramatic storytelling. Raid 2 stays true to its theme, but it takes itself a bit too seriously.