Inspired by films of ’70s and ’80s for ‘Raid’ franchise, says director Raj Kumar Gupta

Filmmaker Raj Kumar Gupta says he weaved in elements of the many Hindi cinema classics from the 1970s and 1980s to the “Raid” franchise, headlined by Ajay Devgn.

The franchise follows the story of an honest officer Amay Patnaik (Devgn), who goes after powerful people and conducts income-tax raids to track white-collar crimes.

The director, known for films like “Aamir”, “No One Killed Jessica”, has huge posters of iconic films “Deewar” and “Sholay” in his office in suburban Mumbai but the inspirations behind the “Raid” movies were far more varied.

“There were a lot of films in the ’70s and ’80s, where upright characters were fighting people who were corrupt or who were going against the law. There are a lot of films that inspired us. I will not want to name any particular film.

“So, this upright officer (in ‘Raid’ franchise) was intended to be like that of the ’70s and ’80s movies,” Gupta said in an interview.

The inspiration for the characters and story also comes from real life, he added.

“You see a lot of upright officers working in government departments and what they have to go through when they are doing their job,” he said.

The first “Raid” movie, which was released in 2018, became a blockbuster upon its release. Set in 1981 Lucknow, the film was based on a real-life case and followed Patnaik as he led a high-stakes raid on corrupt politician Rameshwar Singh (Saurabh Shukla).

Gupta recently came out with the second part, titled “Raid 2”. The movie, which released in theatres on May 1, has minted over Rs 160 crore at the box office.

In the movie, Devgn’s character returns for his 75th raid, this time targeting Dada Manohar Bhai (Riteish Deshmukh), a revered politician in Bhoj, Rajasthan.

Despite facing suspension during the operation, Patnaik, with support from his wife Malini (Vaani Kapoor) and his team, uncovers hidden black money.

The director said he is “elated” with the response to the sequel.

“I’m happy that the film is doing so really well. For us, as storytellers, it has been a challenge post pandemic where people have not been coming to theatres. If a film comes along, and people come and watch it in those numbers, then it’s really heartening, not only for me as a filmmaker but as an industry as well,” Gupta said.

“I’m happy that people are watching the film in totality for its story, cast and everything, besides it has a ‘Raid’ legacy to it as well,” he said.

He is also grateful to veteran screenwriter Salim Khan, who liked the first movie and suggested him a scene involving Devgn’s character throwing money on a mob to distract them from attacking him and his team.

The filmmaker said he was able to incorporate the sequence in the sequel.

“Salim sahab is a legend. I met him in 2021 and he said he liked the film. He made an observation about the ending of ‘Raid’ one, and I had kept that in my mind. I never thought that I’d be able to use it, but as luck would have it, there was a scene where we could incorporate it in ‘Raid’ (two).

“During the research of ‘Raid 2’, we came across a thing that in the 80s, 90s, the threat that the income tax people had while they were going on a raid was mob fury of strongmen, of politicians or powerful people whom they used to raid. Mostly, they used to get attacked by these people during the 80s or 90s,” Gupta said.

“Raid 2” ends with a hint at a third installment as Rameshwar Singh proposes an alliance with Dada Bhai inside the jail.

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Asked about the plans for a third part, Gupta said he won’t make it until he has a compelling story.

“When it happens, one would know about it. Nothing can be pre-planned right now. I want to live in the moment and let ‘Raid 2’ get out of my system. This world is so interesting… Part one and part two has a natural progression into part three. But the right story has to come along for that to happen.”

“Raid 2” is backed by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, and Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek Pathak under their banners T-Series and Panorama Studios, respectively.