Raid 2 movie review: Ajay Devgn film is so much dullness, so little fun

Also read – Shaitaan movie review: Ajay Devgn steps into Drishyam mode in predictable horror-thriller

This is exactly what he did, with the help of his large army of colleagues, the last time around. Based on a real-life raid in the 80s, the original film’s predictable beats were leavened by some quirky characters, and a few scenes with an element of surprise, which you could count on your fingers.

And this is the template firmly in place for the return of the ‘Raid’ gang, with some of the familiar characters from the earlier film, and some new faces. Apart from Devgn, who reprises his role as the straight-arrow, transfer-prone income tax officer — seven years on, he’s still a deputy commissioner, proving that promotions and honesty don’t go hand in hand—Saurabh Shukla as the jail-bird Tauji, Amit Sial as Amay’s dodgy colleague Lallan Sudheer, are back.

The new faces, apart from Deshmukh, include Vaani Kapoor as Amay’s supportive wife, for whom the script keeps trying to find things to do, in and out of the house. Rajat Kapoor shows up as Amay’s boss who always bats for him. Supriya Pathak is a solid addition as Deshmukh’s mother. And there are a couple of interesting characters in the large supporting cast whom your eye rests on.

But despite these attempts, the film is wrapped in such a strong whiff of sameness — massive castle-like bastion guarded by lathi-wearing goons, convoys of official cars criss-crossing large empty spaces, heavy dialogue delivery, blaring background music — that the first half comes off entirely superfluous: why take so much time in a set-up when we know Amay and his habits already? Criss-cross sandals, collared shirts, check. Doughty and dour, check. Slo-mo walk leading his flock, haan bhai haan, wohich.

Read more – Singham Again movie review: Ajay Devgn film is loud, tedious and instantly forgettable

After a string of eye-glaze scenes in which Devgn and Deshmukh go at each other, you are left clutching at straws. Amongst the cast who seem to have got the memo — go extra, or go home — Sial, as the crafty IT officer, is a hoot. Yashpal Sharma as a lawyer-with-principles, ditto. And the thick-gold-chain-festooned Shukla, as corpulent and confident as ever, cracks you up every time he comes on.

The rest? So much dullness, so little fun.

Raid 2
Raid 2 movie cast: Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Vaani Kapoor, Supriya Pathak, Rajat Kapoor, Amit Sial, Brijendra Kala, Yashpal Sharma, Saurabh Shukla, Govind Namdeo, Tarun Gehlot
Raid 2 movie director: Raj Kumar Gupta
Raid 2 movie rating: 2 stars