Raid hits screens on March 16.
The Ajay Devgn, Ileana D’Cruz and Saurabh Shukla starrer Raid is this week’s big Bollywood release. Touted as the first Bollywood project to be based on an Income Tax raid, Raid is helmed by Raj Kumar Gupta. Set in the 80s, Raid explores how one of the country’s most high-profile raids was executed by fearless IT officer Amay Patnaik.
Talking about Raid, Ajay Devgn told IANS: “When you see the film, you will come to know what kind of preparation and planning goes before a raid. So, all that you hear about income tax raids is very simple and very easy, but it’s not an easy thing to do. They are so silent and nobody knows about them… Officers like these keep doing their job and we talk about other people, and people who become famous.”
Read all the updates about Ajay Devgn’s Raid:
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Read | Raid movie review: The Ajay Devgn and Saurabh Shukla starrer is overlong and tepid
Photos: Ajay Devgn, Kajol and son Yug attend Raid special screening
In an interview with Filmfare, Ileana D'Cruz said, "I expected the wife of an income tax officer to be conservative, quiet, subdued but Malini is kind of a little bit of ahead of her time. That is something I love about her. Amay’s equation with her is not that of the typical husband-wife. He fights with her, he talks to her about stuff, he appreciates what she feels as well. She is this strength behind him. They have an easy-going equation. They are equal in the relationship. I really liked that. That was ahead of its time. She was a lovely character to play.”
According to ANI, Raid revolves around the story of Sharda Prasad Pandey, an IT Commissioner of Kanpur who had raided the house of businessman and ex-MP Sardar Inder Singh in 1981 and recovered assets worth Rs 1.6 crore in cash and gold.
Ajay Devgn will be the first guest on Kapil Sharma's new show on Sony Entertainment Television.
In a conversation with indianexpress.com, Saurabh Shukla, who is garnering praise for his turn in Raid, said, “We pretty much know such people exist. He is a power-driven man who thinks nothing can happen to him but he is hit by this honest officer. The interesting thing about him is that he is not just a black character but his deeds are black. The whole approach was no matter how dark a character you are, at the end of the day, you are a human and have your own moments. He hates this officer but is amazed and fascinated by him because he has not met someone like him. For me, it was interesting because he is closest to the darkest character I have ever done. I have done grey-shaded characters before and I enjoy that but this was much darker.”
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In a conversation with indianexpress.com, trade and film analyst Girish Johar said, “Raid is expected to open to a collection of Rs 8-8.5 crore on Friday. Despite the fact that Raid is being headlined by an A-lister like Ajay Devgn, it does not have the ‘masala’ Bollywood kind of appeal for audiences. Raid’s box-office success largely depends on its word-of-mouth promotion in the coming days.”
Read | Raid box office prediction: This Ajay Devgn film is expected to earn Rs 8 crore on day 1
The pithily named Raid is about, well, the raid that’s planned and executed by a ramrod straight income tax officer and his colleagues upon a wealthy businessman. This is the kind of film which needs to play out like a razor-sharp thriller for it to succeed: Raid, plumped up with wholly superfluous songs and stretched passages, is pithy in name only. Read | Raid movie review: The Ajay Devgn starrer is overlong and tepid
Stellar star cast
Raj Kumar Gupta’s upcoming film boasts of a stellar star cast. First up, we have the talented Ajay Devgn in the role of Amay Patnaik, a no-nonsense Income Tax Officer who is hell-bent on curbing the problem of tax evasion in his area. On the other side is the masterful Saurabh Shukla in the role of a wealthy goon, who goes by the name of Tauji.
True-to-life story
Ajay Devgn’s Raid is said to be inspired by real-life Income Tax raids conducted in the 80s. While many of us are aware of the way the IT Department has been conducting its raids in the past years, the film explores what goes on behind-the-scenes when some of the most politically and financially backed people of the society are put under the scanner.
Helmed by Aamir director Raj Kumar Gupta
Raid director Raj Kumar Gupta has films like Aamir and No One Killed Jessica to his credit. While No One Killed Jessica was based on the Jessica Lal murder case, Aamir dealt with the story of an NRI doctor who is threatened by extremists. His films have been gripping stories that talk about a larger issue but are still rooted in reality.
Also Read: Five reasons to watch Ajay Devgn and Saurabh Shukla starrer Raid