Movie: Raid
Direction: Raj Kumar Gupta
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D’Cruz, Saurabh Shukla
Music: Amit Trivedi, Tanishk Bagchi
Cinematographer: Alphonse Roy
Editor: Bodhaditya Banerjee
Genre: Action, Crime
Rating: ∗∗∗½
What is it about: This film is based on the true events inspired by the longest IT raid ever done in India during 1981, Lucknow. The film is directed by Raj Kumar Gupta.
Why it’s disappointing: There’s not much to be disappointed.
What to watch out for: This film is neatly crafted to suit the timeline and was written well to adapt the true events from which it was inspired. The writing by Ritesh Shah was quite crisp and the dialogues were powerful. Director Raj Kumar Gupta did a great job in pinning the characters which were rooted to their attires and that made the film more interesting.
Ajay Devgn is quite a versatile actor, few things doesn’t suit him but few characters sit tight. In this film as Amay Patnaik, he was brooding with screen presence and gave a strong performance.
Saurabh Shukla is an amazing actor. We love his penchant for adapting to the character, ‘cause he does that like it’s a child’s play. He did a fantastic job as “Rajaji/Tauji”.
Illeana d’Cruz had little to do, so you really can’t comment on it. But there were supporting characters in the film which are worth mentioning. For instance Sheeba Chaddha she was good. Then comes Sulagna Panigrahi, regardless of less screen time, she pulls a good attention. Another silent performer was Gayathri Iyer, she may have fewer dialogues, but she was very expressive.
Apart from them there were two characters who stood out they’re Amit Sial as Lallan, he did a commendable job. And finally Pushpa Joshi as Amma Ji, she was amazing, and cracks you up instantly, a great performer.
The cinematography by Alphonse Roy was good and it was neatly edited by Bodhaditya Banerjee. The music and background score by Amit Trivedi was good.
Verdict: Raj Kumar Gupta, did a good job in packing the longest raid in crisp 128 minutes and dished out an engaging thriller drama which was fuelled with strong dialogues and power packed performances. Definitely worth a watch.
