Ajay Devgn’s Raid 2, which sees the return of the upright and relentless IRS officer Ajay Patnaik as he battles corruption, received a mixed response on social media upon hitting theatres on Thursday. While many praised the film’s intense second half, others felt it had a “slow” start.
A sequel to the 2018 hit, Raid 2 continues to explore high-stakes white-collar crime, with the Income Tax Department teaming up with intelligence agencies to expose financial wrongdoings.
Directed by Raj Kumar Gupta and featuring Riteish Deshmukh and Vaani Kapoor alongside Devgn, the film sparked conversations online, with fans particularly impressed by the lead performances.
One user posted, “#Raid2: Gripping. Stellar performances by #AjayDevgn, #RiteshDeshmukh, thunderous dialogue, and a solid second half make it worthwhile. #Raid2Review.”
Another social media user raved about the performance delivered by Riteish Deshmukh, who played a corrupt politician, Dada Bhai, in the film. “Just watched Raid 2 and that CM chappal scene by @Riteishd is a masterclass in acting. Bollywood truly hasn’t tapped into the full range of your talent. You deserve far more powerful and nuanced roles. Outstanding performance,” the post reads.
“Last 20 minutes of Raid 2 = stress level 100. Plot twists, tension, drama....sab kuch ekdum on point! #ClimaxGoals,” another social media user wrote.
However, some social media users argued that though the film has a gripping second half, Raid 2 isn’t as engaging as the first film was. One social media user wrote, “#Raid 2 is below average. First half bahut boring aur cliched hai nothing new, part one ko hee copy paste maar diya hai. Second half mein #Amit sial aur #Saurabh shukla kuch fun provide karte hai, but nothing extraordinary.”
A section of social media users even complained about not giving Ajay Devgn enough screen space in the second half of the film. “Outdated direction. Overall, #Raid 2 is below average, and that too only because of the supporting cast's performance; otherwise, it would have been a terrible film. Another thing that felt bad was that in the second half of #Raid 2, #Ajay Devgan has been completely sidelined.”
Meanwhile, another audience compared Raid 2 with the television thriller series Crime Patrol. “Raid 2 is as watchable as a Crime Patrol episode. You know every twist and character move, but you stay quiet because your parents think it’s top-tier entertainment. So you just go along with it.”
The original 2018 film, also directed by Gupta, features an ensemble cast, including Devgn, Saurabh Shukla, Ileana D'Cruz, Amit Sial, Gayathri Iyer, Sheeba Chaddha and Saanand Verma.
Set in the 1980s, Raid follows fearless income tax officer Amay Patnaik as he conducts a daring raid on the mansion of Lucknow's most powerful man after receiving evidence against the latter. The film is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.