Whereas I haven’t seen “Raid” (2018), Raj Kumar Gupta’s crime thriller based mostly on the real-life income-tax raid on Sardar Inder Singh within the Eighties, the very existence of its sequel—this time indifferent from any real-life case and that includes Vaani Kapoor changing Ileana D’Cruz as the identical flat-lined love curiosity, Malini—reveals the core vice of any mainstream cinema trade: backing sequels that by no means wanted to exist. That this gamble paid off, and the movie has already emerged because the 12 months’s third-highest-grossing Hindi launch, says greater than sufficient concerning the present state of Bollywood moviegoing tradition.
What this doesn’t instantly inform you, nonetheless, is how surprisingly efficient the movie is at mobilising its storytelling instruments to push the narrative ahead. As a standalone entry, it performs out like a pulpy and largely partaking crowd-pleaser concerning the terrifying ease with which politicians and bureaucrats can infiltrate and manipulate the system from inside. Its depiction of gendered corruption and the deeper rot of Indian democracy—the place folks construct their very own oppressors and nonetheless adjust to them—fortunately doesn’t drift into chaotic apoliticism.
That stated, the failings are obtrusive. The writing is usually simplistic, at occasions decreasing a whole populace to a reactionary mass. Riteish Deshmukh’s mainstream comeback doesn’t assist both—his limitations as an actor stay paper-thin and visual. And no, the weird linguistic alternative of an Odia couple talking pitch-perfect Hindi wasn’t going to be fastened on this lifetime. Nonetheless, Raid 2 holds a curious sort of allure—the type that reminds you of what an unapologetically “Hindi” movie appears like, earlier than loud propaganda machines overran the cinematic battleground on one finish and glossy, westernized indie lenses on the opposite.
This is an unusually loaded movie—one the place whole subplots are compressed into thirty-minute narrative chunks. There’s a real danger of lacking one thing essential simply by blinking too lengthy. So, right here’s our try to interrupt it down—an explainer that will help you make sense of the chaos, the politics, and the gold hidden beneath the floor.
Raid 2 (2025) Movie Plot Abstract and Synopsis:
The movie opens in Rajasthan in 1989, the place a workforce of Revenue Tax officers steadily approaches the palace of a small-town Raja named Kunwar Kuldeep. An informer spots the convoy and alerts the palace, prompting the Raja’s males to mobilize. He instructs his right-hand man to rapidly shift all of the riches into giant autos and smuggle them out by one other route. Scoffing at how democracy has emboldened authorities officers to presume they’ll command honesty, the Raja launches a violent assault on the officers, blocking their entry and scaring them off.
However IRS officer Amay Patnaik takes a distinct route, intercepts the Raja’s males mid-transfer, and catches them red-handed, efficiently executing the raid. Later, on the IRS workplace, the identical right-hand man affords to bribe Amay, who as a substitute calls for a cost of 2 crore rupees. In consequence, Amay is transferred for the seventy-fourth time. His spouse, Malini, sarcastically notes that the diamond jubilee is nonetheless pending. Regardless of the general public report of dishonesty, her eyes counsel she suspects there’s one other aspect to the story.
The place is Amay transferred?
This time, Amay is transferred to Bhoj, a city in Madhya Pradesh. As at all times, he arrives early, sifting by information and information earlier than the employees is available in. When the subordinates ultimately arrive, he addresses them, noting that all the things being too completely so as would possibly itself be trigger for concern. Some officers reply that it’s as a result of the ‘king’ of Bhoj retains issues operating actually—all the things stays easy below his watch. Nonetheless, Amay calls for a complete report on the wealth of each main and minor businessman on the town.
Later, his daughter Mini urges him to take her out since faculties received’t reopen earlier than Holi. Amay takes his spouse and daughter to town’s predominant vacationer attraction: the Sushma Basis, constructed by the influential politician Manohar Dhankar, referred to as Dada Bhai, in his mom’s identify. Amay is struck by Dada Bhai’s humility once they meet. Native distributors inform him Dada Bhai was as soon as an impoverished cobbler who used his meager earnings to feed the impoverished. That earned him immense public goodwill, although he needed to shut his store because of meagre enterprise.
Inspired by the general public, he contested elections as an unbiased after the Chief Minister mocked his poverty. To everybody’s shock, he defeated the CM. Upon victory, he demanded an apology from the CM and went on to turn out to be Dwelling Minister and ultimately a cupboard determine. A popcorn vendor additionally shares gossip that Dada Bhai as soon as had an ‘epic love story’ with a girl named Neha, who died in an accident.
Additionally Learn: Raid 2 (2025) Movie Evaluate
What is Amay’s massive order?
After internet hosting a Holi occasion for his colleagues and pals, Amay visits a village and is stunned to search out sugarcane plantations thriving in summer time. An area farmer informs him that the crop belongs to a landlord named Vinay Dadiyal, who claims to be rising it for luck. That evening, Amay convenes all officers and points a bombshell order: a warrant for a raid on Manohar Dhankar alias Dada Bhai’s properties. Ashok, one of many officers, is shocked and calls it blasphemy.
That’s when Amay reveals the reality behind his so-called dishonesty and “punishment” switch—it was a setup. After accepting the pretend bribe, he acquired intelligence that Dada Bhai had aligned with Kunwar Kuldeep to topple the CM. Amay requested Chief Commissioner Kaul to concoct the bribery story so he may get transferred to Bhoj and examine. He then probed the plantations, unearthed a buried field of money, and tracked down gold that had allegedly been hidden contained in the statue of a hand put in on the Basis.
What occurs throughout the raid?
However when Amay raids Dada Bhai’s mansion, he’s shocked to search out no black cash regardless of having thirty seizure warrants. Even the gold within the statue is lacking. The general public turns towards the division, erupting in violence. Dada Bhai mocks him, saying that whereas he fakes honesty for the general public, he at all times knew Amay was faking dishonesty. He admits to having emptied his belongings below the radar to protect his picture, successfully difficult Amay’s ethical order. Earlier than leaving, he affords a cryptic trace: all the things Amay seeks is hiding in plain sight. Amay is then suspended for misconduct and compelled to reside along with his in-laws. This second is relished by Rameshwar Singh, alias Tauji—Amay’s previous adversary from the earlier movie, now out on parole.
How does Amay discover out about Neha Rathore?
Whereas exiting one of many protests, a supposed protester slips Amay a coupon containing the identify of a Railway Division employee: Neha Rathore. Amay contacts his good friend Puneet Sahani, a Director Common in Delhi, and learns that Neha had recognized all departmental guidelines and that her demise on the tracks, dominated an accident, was truly a suicide. This leads Amay to uncover a big land-for-job rip-off run by Dada Bhai. He would purchase land from ladies at low charges, get them railway jobs in return, and sexually exploit them.
Amay tries to persuade these girls to testify, however none agree. So, he bribes a crooked Delhi lawyer, Devender Gehlot, to file a PIL towards Dada Bhai. Frightened, Dada Bhai agrees to pay Gehlot 2 crore rupees to squash the case, with negotiations dealt with by his private lawyer, Vinay Bakaya. In the meantime, Amay’s Bhoj-based colleague Geeta Devi—an admirer—ideas off Lallan Sudhir, the corrupt new Deputy Commissioner, to raid Vinay Dadiyal’s residence. Based mostly on her investigation, she confirms that the money, as soon as buried below the plantation, was moved to Dadiyal’s home in bullock carts, abandoning hint proof. The raid nets 20 crore rupees, infuriating Dada Bhai.
Raid 2 (2025) Movie Ending Defined:
How is Dada Bhai uncovered?
In an act of harm management, Dada Bhai pays Devender Gehlot not two however 5 crores to make sure the case disappears. However the tables flip when Gehlot exposes him in courtroom, having secretly recorded the bribery try. This ends in a courtroom keep on Dada Bhai’s return to Bhoj. Further raids additionally goal IAS officer Kamal Chauhan’s Delhi residence—one other key location for hoarded belongings. In the meantime, Bakaya’s betrayal as an informant for Amay involves gentle, and Dada Bhai has him disappear. Dada Bhai then takes Lallan’s recommendation to stash the remainder of his wealth in a safer place. Concurrently, Kaul and Amay work to revoke Amay’s suspension. Dada Bhai’s net of laundering—from his luxurious resorts to overpriced Basis merchandise—slowly unravels, exposing unaccountable wealth. Amay vows: if this subsequent raid fails, it is going to be his final.
What is recovered on the water kund?
Again in Bhoj, Amay reveals that Lallan was positioned there on his personal orders. Lallan, an previous good friend expert at simulating corruption, has already recognized the resort the place Dada Bhai’s loot is saved. The raid proceeds, however Dada Bhai responds with open lawlessness, rallying violent mobs towards the division. In the meantime, Rameshwar Singh allies with the CM, providing him assist from Dada Bhai’s MLAs, whom he has purchased out.
Within the midst of all this, Malini visits the ladies exploited by Dada Bhai, persuades them to talk out, and takes them to satisfy Sushma—Dada Bhai’s revered mom. As violence erupts close to the resort, Amay climbs to the highest flooring, hurls bundles of money into the gang, and distracts them from rioting. The cash rains down, pacifying the mob and giving the workforce time to safe the property and relocate.
Amay and his officers then head to the water kund close to the Basis gate. There, divers recuperate the unique hand statue—strong gold—buried and changed in a single day with a brass duplicate. Dada Bhai arrives with one other offended mob, solely to be halted by a automobile carrying Sushma, Malini, and the abused girls. Sushma slaps her son in public, denounces him, and walks away in tears. Dada Bhai removes his slippers, collapses, and is taken into custody.
The movie ends with Amay visiting the protester who tipped him off—Neha Rathore’s grandfather. In the meantime, in jail, Dada Bhai encounters Rameshwar Singh. The 2 shake arms, hinting on the political reshuffling—and vengeance—that’s nonetheless to return.
Learn Extra: The ten Finest Indian Motion pictures of 2025 (So Far)
Raid 2 (2025) Movie Trailer:
Raid 2 (2025) Movie Hyperlinks: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Wikipedia, Letterboxd
Raid 2 (2025) Movie Solid: Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Vaani Kapoor
Raid 2 (2025) Movie Runtime: 2h 25m, Style: Thriller & Thriller/Drama
The place to observe Raid 2
