Raid 2

There is a fundamental but very important difference in how we consume food and films. You go in for the same mutton biryani from the same outlet every time because you like how it tastes. If, one day, the taste differs, you will be sorely disappointed, perhaps even making a note to never order from the same restaurant again. How we react to the cinema we like, however, is just the opposite. If you like a film but are presented with almost the same film in its follow-up/sequel, you will reject it. You can look for the same flavour (and perhaps even some familiarity), but you will not appreciate a CtrlC+CtrlV exercise. Raid 2 suffers from this affliction. It is not only a retread into Raid territory, it also doesn’t serve its audience anything that we hadn’t watched in the first film. Seven years ago, director Rajkumar Gupta gave us Amay Patnaik, a sharp-thinking, quick-on-his-feet income tax officer. Honest to a fault and armed with dry humour, Patnaik’s run-in with powerful politician Tauji (a deliciously evil Saurabh Shukla) in what was billed as ’the longest income-tax raid in history’, made for some immensely watchable moments, besides delivering the kind of subtle social commentary that Gupta is known for.

कोई फिल्म आकर दिल-दिमाग में जगह बना ले तो मन करता है कि इस जैसी और कहानियां भी आएं ताकि सिनेमा दर्शकों को न सिर्फ मनोरंजन देता रहे बल्कि उन्हें मसालों में लिपटे पलायनवादी सिनेमा से परे ऐसी कहानियां भी परोसे जो हमें खुद से मिलवाती हैं। सात साल पहले जब राजकुमार गुप्ता के निर्देशन में अजय देवगन वाली ‘रेड’ आई थी तो यही उम्मीद जगी थी कि अपने देश में तो इन्कम टैक्स वालों के हैरतअंगेज़ छापों की ढेरों मिसालें हैं सो बहुत जल्द किसी न किसी रेड की कहानी पर्दे पर आ ही जाएगी। लेकिन ऐसा नहीं हुआ। अब सात साल बाद ‘रेड 2’ आई तो मन में अरमान जगे कि ज़रूर इन लोगों के हाथ फिर कोई ज़बर्दस्त कहानी लगी होगी वरना ये लोग इतनी देर नहीं लगाते। मगर क्या ‘रेड 2’ उन अरमानों को पूरा कर पाती है? आइए जानते हैं कि क्या इस फिल्म में वह बात है जो ‘रेड’ में थी, जिसे देख कर मैंने लिखा था कि ऐसी ‘रेड’ ज़रूर पड़े, बार-बार पड़े।

Same hero, new villain, bigger scale is a formula that often works for a new Bond enterprise or a fresh leap that our Tiger takes. This week, director Raj Kumar Gupta applies the rules of larger-than-life heroes to the new chapter of the unsung Income Tax officer that he created seven years ago. As the honest public servant in slippers took on the might of a feudal lord in the skin of a Member of Parliament, the first film impressed with its compelling premise, watertight screenwriting, and strong performances. Ajay Devgn developed the rugged skin of the intense Amay Patnaik, unperturbed by transfers and threats, but it was Saurabh Shukla who brought the house down with his wicked ways and witty repartees as the relatable villain of the piece.

Raj Kumar Gupta’s Raid 2 is a sequel of its own 2018 crime thriller Raid and continues the story of Amay Patnaik, an IRS (Indian Revenue Service) officer who still operates with a rigid sense of duty in a system that rarely rewards it. The movie ends with more surprises and twists than one would expect from a movie about tax raids and corruption. Let’s dive into the plot of Raid 2, its ending, and learn all about its cast, release date, and more. Ajay Devgn returns to play the role of Patnaik. This time, he comes face to face with a politician called Dada Manohar Bhai (Riteish Deshmukh), who is something of a darling of his constituency, Bhoj. Initially just a humble shoemaker, he rose in power thanks to popular support as first a state minister and then a cabinet minister. Patnaik, when he is transferred to Bhoj, suspects something is not right despite a feeling of general goodwill towards Dada and happiness suffusing the town. And indeed — spoiler alert — Patnaik is proven right. But even with ample evidence, can he really touch somebody as powerful as Dada Bhai? Not only does he have the state machinery at his disposal, but he is also a darling of the masses, and as we see in the movie multiple times, they would not hesitate to form mobs to sabotage any law enforcement action against him.

There are two ways to process a movie like Raid 2. First, relatively — as the latest star vehicle in a mainstream Bollywood landscape gasping for air, originality and audiences. The bar is lower than working-class spirits on a dry day (Raid 2 releases on Labour Day). By this yardstick alone, the film is alright. It’s not bad. Watchable, even. The sequel to Raid (2018) — which continues the retro adventures of painfully honest IRS officer Amay Patnaik (Ajay Devgn) — sticks to the basics: a colourful supporting cast (to offset a stiff hero), Amit Sial and Saurabh Shukla in full form, a bad guy (Riteish Deshmukh) pretending to be a messiah, a pulpy score, a raid-redemption-rise story, loads of money and gold and gotcha grins and one-liners.