Raid movie review: Ajay Devgn's film is both impactful and entertaining

RATING: 3.5/5

MOVIE: Raid

CAST: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D'Cruz, Saurabh Shukla, Amit Sial

DIRECTOR: Raj Kumar Gupta

GENRE: Thriller based on real stories

The issue of black money is often talked about in this country, but the unsung heroes who fight against this menace are hardly recognized. The movie Raid highlights the unshakable courage, love for nation and honesty of one such unsung hero. The film is based on true incidents of high profile raids conducted by the IT department in Uttar Pradesh during the early 80s.

STORYLINE

Amay Patnaik (Ajay Devgn) is a senior Income Tax officer, who gets transferred to new cities almost every two months due to his high principles and strict approach towards mighty corrupt personalities.

Soon after he takes over charge at Lucknow, Patnaik gets a tip from an informer about Rs 420 crore black money stacked inside the "white house" of a powerful politician Rameshwar Singh (Saurabh Shukla).

Although Patnaik has the record of never coming out empty-handed from a raid, this time his fight is against someone who not only has huge public support but also powerful contacts in the ministry.

To know whether Patnaik and his team becomes successful in his endeavor to dig out the huge amount of black money or "Raja ji ki fauj" falls heavy on the honest officer,  forms the gripping crux of the film.

PERFORMANCES

This is not the first time that Ajay plays the character of an honest public servant but his performance in Raid makes you believe that he has mastered the skill of performing such serious roles over the years. His body language and strong portrayal of such roles make these characters look real and relatable on screen.

Apart from Ajay, Saurabh Shukla as the ruthless antagonist pitted against Devgn makes a strong screen presence, and rightly so. He portrays the character of an arrogant corrupt leader with great precision, adding a good dose of entertainment at certain points.

Ileana D'Cruz plays the character of caring and supportive wife of Patnaik. Although she did her part well, Ileana doesn't have much to add to the plot. Amit Sial plays the role of Lallan, an IT officer from Patnaik's team, who, however, is corrupt too. He plays his role with perfection. While all the actors in the film did their parts well, an old lady portraying the character of Rameshwar Singh's "Amma" is pretty interesting.

POSITIVES

The potent combination of good performances and sharp direction is Raid's biggest plus point. The plot of the film is intriguing, coupled with some impressive dialogues. Although the plot of the movie is serious, it has the perfect dose of subtle humor and entertainment.

NEGATIVES

Although the overall film is quite engaging, there are certain points in the second half that appear a little sluggish. Also, one romantic song sequence between Ajay and Ileana is abruptly added at one crucial point that is somewhat distracting. Fortunately, the song ends soon enough.

VERDICT

Overall, the movie Raid involves good performances along with an engaging storyline. It is a fine mix of an impactful content with a good dose of entertainment. You should go for it.