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Raid 2 (2025) Full Movie

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Raid 2

Raid 2 is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language crime thriller film directed by Raj Kumar Gupta. The film is a sequel to Raid (2018) and stars Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh and Vaani Kapoor. It takes place seven years after the events of the first movie and centers on the return of IRS officer Amay Patnaik (Devgn), who is investigating yet another white-collar crime.

Like the previous film, the sequel is also based on the income-tax raid conducted by the officers of Income Tax Department who work with intelligence agencies to track white-collar crimes. The film was announced in April 2020. Filming was held in Mumbai, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi in the first half of 2024.

Raid 2 was released theatrically on 1 May 2025 and received mixed reviews from critics. The film is a commercial success at the box office, and was ranked third highest-grossing hindi film of 2025.

Plot

Indian Revenue Service Officer Amay Patnaik, an honest and daring officer who has seized over ₹4200 crores in his raids, gets transferred for the 74th time to the fictional town of Bhoj in Rajasthan, where he tracks another white-collar criminal, Manohar Dhankar alias Dada Manohar Bhai, a corrupt politician on his 75th raid.

Later, when Amay Patnaik attempts to locate the black money Dada Manohar Bhai concealed during his raid, he is suspended. He then continues to pursue Dada Manohar Bhai with the assistance of his Income Tax team after his suspension is lifted. A pestered, Dada Manohar Bhai tries to attack Amay Patnaik but is stopped by his mother, who was made aware of the series of events, and the whole truth by Malini, Amay’s wife persuading her to help Amay.

Dada Manohar Bhai realizes his mistake and surrenders. In the end, Rameshwar Singh alias “Tauji”, tries and offers to join hands with Dada Manohar Bhai, setting the stage for Raid 3.

Cast

Credit – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_2_(film)#Cast

Our General Review

Raid 2 Movie Review: A Taxing Tale of Triumph, Tedium, and Tunes That Nobody Asked For

Ladies and gentlemen, grab your calculators and hide your black money, because Raid 2 is here to storm the box office like an Income Tax officer bursting into a corrupt politician’s mansion at 6 a.m.! Directed by Raj Kumar Gupta, this 2025 sequel to the 2018 sleeper hit Raid brings back Ajay Devgn as the steely-eyed, aviator-sporting IRS officer Amay Patnaik, a man so honest he probably declares his chai expenses on his tax returns.

This time, he’s facing off against a new villain, the smarmily saintly Dada Manohar Bhai, played by Riteish Deshmukh, who’s less “evil mastermind” and more “guy who’d sell you a knockoff saint statue at a discount.” With a runtime of 2 hours and 31 minutes, a U/A 7+ rating, and a plot that swings between thrilling and “did they just recycle that from the first film?”,

Raid 2 is a mixed bag of Bollywood bravado, predictable twists, and enough slow-motion walks to make you wonder if Ajay Devgn’s knees ever get tired. Let’s dive into this 5,000-word-plus adventure, where I’ll break down the good, the bad, the melodramatic, and the downright “why is this song here?” moments, all while trying to keep my sense of humor from filing for bankruptcy.

The Plot: A Cat-and-Mouse Game Where the Mouse Is a Politician with Too Many Fans

Raid 2
Raid 2

Raid 2 picks up seven years after the events of the first film, set in the late 1980s, a time when Ambassador cars ruled the roads, and politicians hid their cash in places more creative than my attempts to hide snacks from my roommates. Our hero, Amay Patnaik (Ajay Devgn), is back, still rocking his signature aviators and a moral compass so straight it could double as a ruler. This guy has conducted 74 raids, seized ₹4,200 crore in black money, and probably never smiled once in his life. He’s the kind of officer who’d raid his own house for unreported birthday cash from his grandma.

The film kicks off with Amay raiding the palace of a sleazy royal, Raja Kunwar (Govind Namdeo), in Jaipur. Truckloads of black money are confiscated, but—plot twist!—Amay accepts a bribe of ₹3 crore. Cue gasps from the audience and probably from his own team, who look at him like he just suggested replacing their chai with decaf. Of course, Amay’s bluffing (because heaven forbid our hero actually be human), but this stunt gets him caught and transferred to the fictional town of Bhoj, Rajasthan, where the real story unfolds.

In Bhoj, Amay locks horns with Manohar Dhankar, aka Dada Manohar Bhai (Riteish Deshmukh), a politician so revered he makes Mother Teresa look like a part-time volunteer. Dada Bhai is the ultimate wolf in sheep’s clothing: he washes his mother’s feet with rose petal water, runs a charitable foundation, and has the locals worshipping him like he’s the human equivalent of a free Wi-Fi hotspot.

But Amay, with his taxman’s sixth sense, smells something fishy—like black money hidden in fields, fortresses, or maybe the politician’s impressively gelled hair. The problem? Amay’s 75th raid on Dada Bhai’s properties yields nothing, leading to his suspension and a public relations disaster. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game where Amay, with help from his wife Malini (Vaani Kapoor), his team, and a returning character from the first film, Tauji (Saurabh Shukla), tries to outsmart the slippery Dada Bhai.

The plot is a rollercoaster of suspense, predictability, and moments that make you go, “Wait, didn’t I see this in Raid 1?” It’s like the writers—Ritesh Shah, Raj Kumar Gupta, Jaideep Yadav, Karan Vyas, and Akshat Tiwari—decided to take the original’s template, add a few extra subplots (including a bizarre #MeToo reference that feels shoehorned in), and crank up the drama to Singham levels. The first half builds tension with Amay’s relentless pursuit, but the second half stumbles with predictable twists and a climax that’s less “mind-blowing” and more “oh, okay, that happened.” Still, there’s enough intrigue to keep you hooked, especially if you love watching corrupt politicians squirm under the weight of their own egos.

Ajay Devgn: The Sunglasses-Wearing Taxman of Our Dreams

Let’s talk about Ajay Devgn, the man who could make a tax audit feel like a superhero origin story. As Amay Patnaik, he’s the same stoic, intense officer from the first film, but now with 74 more transfers under his belt and a wardrobe that screams “I own 47 pairs of identical aviators.”

Devgn’s performance is a masterclass in restraint—he barely smiles, his dialogues are delivered with the gravitas of a man reading the Income Tax Act aloud, and his slow-motion entries could make a sloth jealous. Critics have noted that he feels detached from the character at times, more Singham than Patnaik, but I disagree. This is Ajay being Ajay: a walking, talking embodiment of “I’m here to do my job, and I’ll look cool doing it.”

There’s a scene where Amay declares, “Maine kab kahaa ke main paandav hoon? Main to poori Mahabharat hoon!” (“When did I say I’m a Pandava? I’m the entire Mahabharata!”), and I swear the audience in my theater clapped like they’d just witnessed the invention of sliced bread. It’s cheesy, it’s over-the-top, and it’s pure Bollywood gold. Devgn’s comic timing shines in subtle moments, like when he deadpans a quip about sycophants, but you can’t help wishing the script gave him more chances to flex that humor. He’s the anchor of the film, carrying it with his quiet intensity, even when the screenplay starts feeling like a tax form with too many pages.

Riteish Deshmukh: The Villain Who’s Too Polite to Be Scary

Enter Riteish Deshmukh as Dada Manohar Bhai, the politician who’s so charming he could sell you a timeshare in a swamp and make you thank him for it. Deshmukh is a revelation here, proving once again that he’s more than just the goofy guy from Housefull. His Dada Bhai is a fascinating mix of piety and menace, with eyes that scream “I’m up to no good” even as he’s handing out free blankets to the poor.

He’s not as menacing as Saurabh Shukla’s Tauji from the first film—more like a guy who’d apologize before laundering your money—but that’s the point. Dada Bhai’s power lies in his public image, not in goons or guns, and Deshmukh nails the smarmy charisma.

However, the script doesn’t give him enough to work with. Critics have pointed out that Dada Bhai feels underwritten, lacking the fearsome edge needed to balance Amay’s heroism. I agree—he’s less “terrifying villain” and more “annoying uncle who insists on reciting poetry at family gatherings.” There’s a scene where he washes his mother’s feet with milk in a temple, and I half-expected him to break into a devotional song. Still, Deshmukh’s performance elevates the role, especially in the first half, where his verbal sparring with Devgn is like watching two chess players who keep forgetting the rules. You’ll root for him to lose, but you’ll also wish he’d been given sharper claws.

The Supporting Cast: Stealing the Show with Smirks and Sass

If Raid 2 has a secret weapon, it’s the supporting cast, who swoop in like the Avengers of comic relief and character acting. Amit Sial as Lallan Sudheer Singh, aka “Charan Chumbak” (because he sticks to whoever’s in power), is an absolute riot. He’s the kind of corrupt officer who’d sell his own desk for a bribe, and Sial milks every scene for laughs, delivering one-liners with the glee of a stand-up comedian at an open mic. His post-interval scenes are pure gold, turning what could’ve been a slog into a chuckle-fest.

Raid 2
Raid 2

Saurabh Shukla reprises his role as Tauji, the villain from Raid 1 who’s now in jail but still dishing out wry commentary like a tax-evading Yoda. His presence feels a bit forced—like the writers thought, “Hey, people loved him last time, let’s throw him in!”—but Shukla’s so good you don’t care. Every time he’s on screen, you’re reminded why he stole the show in the first film. Yashpal Sharma as the principled lawyer Devinder Gehlot and Shruti Pandey as Geeta ji also shine, adding depth and humor to the ensemble. Supriya Pathak as Dada Bhai’s mother is underused but brings gravitas to her limited scenes, especially in the climax where she learns the truth about her son.

And then there’s Vaani Kapoor as Malini Patnaik, Amay’s wife, who replaces Ileana D’Cruz from the first film. Oh, Vaani, what did they do to you? Her role is so underwritten it’s practically invisible. She’s there to serve rotis, look worried, and occasionally play a pivotal part in the climax (no spoilers, but let’s just say she’s more plot device than person). Critics have called her role “eye candy,” and I can’t disagree—she’s stuck in a thankless part that feels like it was written by someone who forgot women can have personalities. Still, she does her best with what she’s given, which is basically two songs and a concerned expression.

Direction and Writing: A Mixed Bag of Ambition and Déjà Vu

Raj Kumar Gupta, the man behind No One Killed Jessica and Raid, returns to helm Raid 2, and you can feel his ambition to make this bigger, bolder, and more “cinematic” than the first. He succeeds in parts—the first half is taut, with twists that keep you guessing, and the cinematography by Sudhir K. Chaudhary captures the dusty charm of 1980s Rajasthan.

But the film’s scale sometimes works against it. The addition of four writers (compared to just Ritesh Shah for the first film) leads to a screenplay that feels overstuffed, like a paratha bursting with too much filling. Subplots about #MeToo, coalition politics, and Amay’s family life feel tacked on, and the second half drags like a tax audit on a Monday morning.

The dialogue, though, is a highlight. Lines like “Maine kab kahaa ke main paandav hoon?” are pure Bollywood catnip, designed to make audiences whistle and clap. The writers also sprinkle in clever jabs at corruption and sycophancy, which land well, especially when delivered by Sial or Shukla. However, the film’s reliance on convenience—peopl

Raid 2
Raid 2

e helping Amay with “shocking ease,” as one critic put it—makes it feel less grounded than the first Raid, which was inspired by a real case. This one leans hard into fictional drama, complete with over-the-top moments that remind you of Rajinikanth’s Shivaji or Amitabh Bachchan’s Yaarana.

Gupta’s direction tries to balance commercial flair with realism, but it doesn’t always work. The slow-motion entries and bombastic score (more on that later) turn Amay into a superhero, which clashes with the everyman appeal of the first film. The climax, while satisfying, feels rushed and oversimplified, like the writers realized they had five minutes to wrap everything up. Still, Gupta keeps the film engaging, and the battle of wits between Amay and Dada Bhai is compelling enough to make you forgive the occasional misstep.

Music and Technical Aspects: Why Are There So Many Songs?

Let’s address the elephant in the room: the music. Raid 2 has four songs, and at least two of them feel like they were added because someone said, “It’s Bollywood, we need songs!” “Kamle” and “Tumhe Dillagi” are forgettable, slowing down the first half like a speed bump in a car chase. “Nasha,” featuring Tamannaah Bhatia, is catchy but unnecessary, and “Money Money” during the end credits is the only track that feels thematically relevant. Amit Trivedi’s background score, however, is a standout, rehashing the original’s intensity while adding new layers. It’s the kind of score that makes you feel like you’re uncovering a stash of black money every time it plays.

Technically, the film is solid. The cinematography captures the gritty vibe of Bhoj, with wide shots of dusty streets and crowded markets that scream “retro Bollywood.” The production design by Rita Ghosh nails the 1980s aesthetic—think Ambassador cars, chunky gold chains, and politicians in kurtas that look suspiciously starched. The editing by Sandeep Francis could’ve been tighter, especially in the first half, where the pacing lags. The action sequences, choreographed by R.P. Yadav, are minimal but effective, focusing more on suspense than fistfights.

The Humor: A Saving Grace in a Taxing World

What saves Raid 2 from becoming a dour lecture on corruption is its humor. The film doesn’t take itself too seriously, and thank goodness for that. Amit Sial’s Lallan is the MVP here, tossing out one-liners like a street vendor hawking samosas. There’s a scene where he grovels to Dada Bhai, only to switch sides faster than you can say “tax evasion.”

Saurabh Shukla’s Tauji also gets some zingers, mocking the absurdity of the system from behind bars. Even Ajay Devgn, who’s allergic to smiling, lands a few dry quips that had my theater chuckling. The humor is situational, poking fun at the sycophants and bureaucrats who make corruption a team sport. It’s not laugh-out-loud funny like a Govinda comedy, but it’s enough to keep you smiling through the slower bits.

The Vibes: Bollywood’s Love Letter to the Unsung Taxman

Raid 2 wants to be a lot of things: a gripping thriller, a star vehicle for Ajay Devgn, a commentary on corruption, and a crowd-pleaser with songs and slow-mo. It doesn’t always succeed, but there’s something undeniably charming about its earnestness. This is a film that believes in the power of the honest public servant, even if it portrays the public as a bit too gullible (seriously, how do these people fall for Dada Bhai’s act?). It’s a love letter to the unsung heroes of the Income Tax Department, wrapped in Bollywood’s glitzy, melodramatic packaging.

The film’s biggest strength is its ability to keep you engaged, even when you know exactly where it’s going. The face-off between Amay and Dada Bhai is like watching two uncles argue over who pays the restaurant bill—petty, dramatic, and weirdly entertaining. The supporting cast, especially Sial and Shukla, adds a layer of warmth and wit that makes the film feel human, not just a parade of plot points. And let’s be real: there’s something deeply satisfying about watching a corrupt politician get taken down, even if it’s in a fictional town called Bhoj.

The Flaws: Where Raid 2 Trips Over Its Own Ambition

But oh, Raid 2, you’re not perfect. Far from it. The film’s biggest sin is its sense of déjà vu. It follows the same template as Raid 1—honest officer, corrupt bigwig, raid gone wrong, triumphant comeback—with a few extra subplots that don’t always land. The #MeToo angle feels like it was added to seem “relevant” but goes nowhere, and the political commentary about coalition governments is about as subtle as a sledgehammer. The second half, while engaging, rushes through its twists like a kid cramming for an exam. And don’t get me started on Vaani Kapoor’s role—she deserves better than being a glorified prop in a sari.

The pacing is another issue. The first half drags, with too many scenes of Amay brooding or locals praising Dada Bhai. The songs don’t help, acting as speed bumps in an otherwise decent thriller. And while the climax delivers some closure, it’s not as thrilling as the first film’s, where the takedown of Tauji felt like a mic-drop moment. Here, it’s more like a polite nod. Critics have called it a “lethargic remake” and a “maze of facile contrivances,” and while I wouldn’t go that far, I get where they’re coming from. Raid 2 tries to be bigger but forgets to be better.

The Verdict: A Decent Sequel That Could’ve Filed a Better Return

So, is Raid 2 worth your time and money? If you loved the first Raid, you’ll probably enjoy this one, even if it doesn’t quite match the original’s freshness. It’s a solid crime thriller with stellar performances from Devgn, Deshmukh, Sial, and Shukla, a gripping (if predictable) story, and enough humor to keep you entertained. The second half picks up the pace, and the showdown between Amay and Dada Bhai is satisfying, even if it’s not groundbreaking. But the slow first half, unnecessary songs, and underwritten female characters hold it back from greatness. It’s like ordering a spicy biryani and getting a decent but slightly underseasoned version—you’ll eat it, but you’ll wish it had more kick.

Raid 2
Raid 2

On the plus side, the film’s commercial success (₹27 crore worldwide opening, third highest-grossing Hindi film of 2025) proves it’s striking a chord with audiences. Social media buzz is mixed but leans positive, with fans praising the performances and suspense while some lament the slow start and lack of originality. If you’re a fan of crime thrillers, Ajay Devgn’s intense stares, or Riteish Deshmukh’s villainous charm, it’s a one-time watch that won’t leave you feeling taxed—pun intended. Just don’t expect it to reinvent the wheel or, in this case, the tax code.

Final Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Raid 2 is a faithful sequel that delivers thrills, laughs, and a few eye-rolls. It’s not as sharp as the first film, but it’s got heart, humor, and enough drama to keep you hooked for 151 minutes. Ajay Devgn and Riteish Deshmukh carry the film, with Amit Sial and Saurabh Shukla stealing scenes like seasoned tax evaders. Skip the popcorn for the songs, but stay for the showdowns. And who knows? Maybe Raid 3 will give us more Tauji, less item numbers, and a Vaani Kapoor role that actually matters. Until then, file this one under “decent entertainment” and enjoy the ride.

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