Raid trailer: Ajay Devgn set to cast his tax net wide and deep

Not that his comic roles are any less, Ajay Devgn is best known for playing serious, intense characters with authority. Of these Gangaajal (2003), Singham (2011), Singham Returns (2014) spring to mind. 

However, he will not be seen playing a cop, but a no-nonsense Income Tax officer, in Raj Kumar Gupta's film Raid. The makers released the trailer today (6 February) and it manages to impress and generate intrigue. 

With a self-explanatory title as Raid, one doesn’t need to break one's head over the plot of the film.

The film is said to be based on India's longest raid, conducted in Lucknow in 1981.  Not much is known about the said event but the protagonist Amit (Devgn) raids the premises of a powerful Uttar Pradesh  goon, Rajaji (Saurabh Shukla), who appears to be politically connected too.  

Though the raid begins with quite the usual to and fro of words between the officer and the accused, the challenge arrives when Amit and team are not able to retrieve any of the Rs400-odd crore from Rajaji’s house. The plot thickens further when Rajaji questions how the IT would make it out of the house, after hundreds of loyal Rajaji supporters surround their leader’s house. 

Often, most Hindi film trailers give away much of the plot leaving little for viewer's imagination. Raid's trailer is not one that blows you away, but it does have a compelling tale to tell. 

It throws up some power-packed dialogues like when Rajaji challenges Amit that he would return empty handed, Amit dismisses the man saying he only returned home empty handed on his wedding day, but never from any morning raid. 

Devgn unites again with Ileana D’Cruz after Baadshaho. D'Cruz plays Amit’s wife who fears that her husband’s honesty may cost him and the family. 

Raid trailer might remind you of Akshay Kumar’s Special 26 (2013). However the two films differ vastly as Special 26 had Akshay and company playing conmen, stealing from the rich. 

The success of Devgn’s Raid will depend on whether it manages to hold the audiences with a gripping screenplay. Over the years, Devgn's films like Golmaal Again (2017), Shivaay (2016), Baadshaho, have been guilty of being melodramatic. Let’s hope Raid stays clears of that.

Overall, the trailer is fairly impressive and compelling. 

Raid is set to be released on 16 March.