Raid 2: I love it when an implausible plan comes together
I prefer Hindi-language Indian popular cinema stars, but it took me a while to come around for Ajay Devgn.
Click here for Now Showing in Madison, week of April 28, 2025
Raid 2 | Raj Kumar Gupta | India | 2025 | 138 minutes
Viewed at AMC Fitchburg 18, Sunday, May 4, 2025. Plays through Wednesday, May 7
I did not have an opportunity to formulate a response to President Trump’s Truth Social post about imposing a 100% tariff on “any and all” movies produced in “foreign lands.” I will share my thoughts on this topic next week.
To cut to the chase: Raid 2 is okay. It checked most of the boxes for what I’m usually looking for when I watch Indian popular cinema. It moves briskly despite the 138 minute run time. It has a straightforward try-and-fail then try-again story arc that wraps up almost every story thread. And it provides an interesting barometer of current nationalist ideology in its representation of corruption in the era of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
So, what are the boxes that I hope to check when attending Indian popular cinema in the theaters? First, unlike some people, I do look forward to songs and dance sequences. They belong to a long tradition in Indian cinema, and I appreciate their stylistic audacity as I try to navigate the wild shift in tones that they trigger. One broad trend in recent Indian popular cinema aimed at international audiences has been a reduction in the number of songs. Even when there are songs, dance sequences are often replaced by montages with the songs serving as non-diagetic accompaniment.
Unfortunately, Raid 2 only has four songs, only one dance sequence (featuring a lead dancer who is not a significant character), and none of the songs are performed on screen with lip-synching. Two of the songs accompany rather bland montage sequences. Music sequences cannot be entirely removed due to the importance of film music to both the film and music industries (one of the studios behind Raid 2 is T-Series). But this strategy makes the music sequences more palatable for international audiences who have a hard time reconciling action and gangster/crime dramas with romantic or Indi-pop dance sequences.
The dance sequences are usually a showcase for male and female stars. Another box that I hope an Indian film will check is a lead performance by a charismatic and multi-talented star. One reason I tend to prefer Hindi-language cinema to Tamil-language or Telugu-language films is because I’m familiar with and follow more Hindi-language stars (Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, etc.). But the star of Raid 2, Ajay Devgn, does not seem interested at all in the flashier aspects of Bollywood stardom. I have had to adjust my expectations to appreciate what he brings to his performances.
I’ve only seen two other Devgn vehicles, Son of Sardaar (2012) and Singham Again (2024), but his stardom dates back to the early 1990s. What struck me during Raid 2 is that not only does Devgn avoid dancing, he does a heck of a lot of walking and sitting. And there’s something about his gait in Raid 2 that makes him seem uncomfortable moving in front of the camera. His character, Indian Revenue Service Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax, Amay Patnaik, does a lot of research in his office and at home, which often includes him sitting and smoking a cigarette (somewhat unusual for a Bollywood hero). He walks off a lot of shoe leather investigating his primary target, populist politician Dada Manohar Bhai (Riteish Deshmukh) for tax evasion. In fact, in lieu of a detailed plot description, I’ll summarize by saying Raid 2 is a series of confrontations between commissioner Patkaik and Dada Bhai as they try to out maneuver each other. Both the cat and the mouse come up with wildly implausible but very entertaining plans and strategies.
What’s appealing about Devgn in Raid 2 is the degree to which he commits to his deadpan performance style. Ultimately, the big dramatic scenes are multiple in-person (and on the phone) face offs between commissioner Patkaik and Dada Bhai. So, while early in the film I felt as uncomfortable as Devgn seems to be when he attempts to crack a smile, once I adjusted my expectations I enjoyed his performance. There’s an amusing motif, at the opening title credit, the intermission, and the end of the film with Devgn walking straight at the camera with a deadpan expression. While I thought it was unintentionally comic the first time, by the end of the film I thought this kind of shot kicked some serious ass.
One other interesting consequence of Devgn’s lack of dexterity: there isn’t much violence in Raid 2. The only guns that are fired (as best as I can remember) are fired in the air as warning shots. There’s the obligatory beat-up-the-informant scene, but even this is done with minimal on-screen impact. Thinking back to the experience watching the film, I’m kind of surprised that my subjective experience was that it seemed to breeze along quickly, because there’s not that much dynamic on-screen action. While I’m not squeamish and I appreciate a good action scene, I have to admit that it was a relief not to have to sit through violent sequences, which can be shockingly and abruptly brutal in some Indian action films.
One last note about the filmgoing experience. I sat next to a couple who were of Indian descent. At the end, the husband (I presume) asked me if I enjoyed the film. I said that indeed I did. He proceeded to explain that the film was about the widespread corruption that had plagued India, and I responded that I was generally aware of that issue but not in much detail, and that I knew that corruption had been a theme in Indian films for a long time. He then explained that things are much better now with Prime Minister Modi. I’m not sure if his emphasis was on making sure that things are better now, or if the emphasis was on support for Prime Minister Modi. And while I’m not well read on the matter, I’m not sure if the corruption problem has been solved to the degree that he stated (the link is to just one article, I would need to know more to support any claim effectively). My takeaway, however, is a reminder that popular cinema can be a powerful tool to reinforce mainstream ideologies, something we should not forget when watching Hollywood blockbusters as well.
Thanks to everyone who attended the Project Projection screening last Wednesday and The Dragon Painter at Duck Soup Cinema on Saturday!
Filmmakers (clockwise from left) Claudia Krogmeier, Vivienne Timchenko, Sherif N., and Selena Baker discussed their films after the Project Projection screening at Mills Folly Microcinema on Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
Here is a quick excerpt from Jelani Eddington’s performance on the Grand Barton Organ in the Capitol Theater before the Duck Soup Cinema screening of The Dragon Painter on Saturday, May 3, 2025.
Now Playing In Madison: May 5 to May 12, 2025
After a very busy April at alternative venues in Madison, there are no screenings this week for Mills Folly Microcinema, UW-Cinematheque, or WUD Film. Stay tuned for their summer schedules (and Rooftop Cinema at MMoCA Cinema).
AMC Theatres, Flix Brewhouse, Marcus Theatres
Check the venue’s website to confirm dates and showtimes, especially after Wednesday for weekend openings and closings. I have not seen the films unless stated otherwise, and my brief notes under film titles are not reviews of the films themselves.
AMC: AMC Fitchburg 18 Theatre Flix: Flix Brewhouse Theatre Palace: Marcus Palace Cinema Point: Marcus Point Cinema
ACCOUNTANT 2, THE (2025) at Flix
AMATEUR, THE (2025) at AMC, Flix, Point
AMC SCREEN UNSEEN: MAY 5 at AMC
ANNABELLE: HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN (2025) at AMC, Palace
BJORK: CORNUCOPIA at Point
Bjork concert film recorded in Libson, Spain. Appears to be only screening Thursday, May 8, 7:30pm.
BONJOUR TRISTESSE (2025) at AMC
At first I thought it was odd for AMC to show the Jean Seberg vehicle directed in glorious widescreen by Otto Preminger (1958, one of my favorites). But no, this is a new Canadian production based on the same novel by Françoise Sagan.
CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace
CRAZY RICH ASIANS at Flix
Flix Faves.
DUMPLING QUEEN, THE at Point
Well, this beat Thunderbolts* at the Chinese box office this weekend. The latest film from Andrew Lau Wai-keung (Internal Affairs) tells the story of Zang Jianhe (Li Ma), a single mother who created one of Hong Kong’s largest food companies, Wanchai Ferry, in the 1970s.
FIGHT OR FLIGHT (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace
Action flick with agents, assets, and assassins. Josh Hartnett is one or more of these. Director James Madigan gets the call up from the Assistant Director leagues.
FOOTLOOSE (1984) at Flix
Flix Faves series.
GOLDFINGER at Flix
Flix Faves series.
HIT: THE THIRD CASE at Point
Telugu-language Indian action thriller.
HUNGER GAMES MARATHON, THE at Point
See all four films (total running time, 9 hours, 52 minutes, so a full work day), starting at noon on Saturday, May 10.
JULIET & ROMEO (2025) at AMC
A new version of the Bard’s classic, this time shot on location in Verona, Italy, with a supporting cast that includes Rebel Wilson, Rupert Everett, Jason Isaacs and Derek Jacobi.
KING OF KINGS, THE (2025) at AMC
For those who didn’t get a chance to see it during Easter season.
LEGEND OF OCHI, THE (2025) at Flix
MARCUS MYSTERY MOVIE (5/5) at Point
MINECRAFT MOVIE, A (2025) at AMC, Flix, Point, Palace
Apparently there is a “Block Party Edition” (essentially a sing-along) at AMC, Monday through Wednesday of this week.
MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL 50TH ANNIVERSARY at Flix, Point, Palace
NATIONAL THEATRE: HAMLET at Point
NORMAL FAMILY, A (2023) at AMC
South Korean family drama. This is the fourth film adaptation of the 2009 novel, The Dinner (from the Netherlands, Italy, and the United States).
PRETTY IN PINK at Flix
Flix Faves series
PRIDE & PREJUDICE 20TH ANNIVERSARY RE-RELEASE (2025) at AMC
RAID 2 at AMC
Hindi-language Indian action film.
RETRO at Point
Tamil-language Indian gangster/action film with limited screenings at Point through Wednesday, May 7.
ROSARIO (2025) at AMC, Point
High concept horror, directed by first-time director Phlipe Vargas.
SHADOW FORCE (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace
Action thriller starring Kerry Washington. Directed by action journeyman Joe Carnahan.
SHROUDS, THE (2025) at AMC
Only one evening screening per night through Wednesday, May 8.
SINNERS (2025) at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point
SURFER, THE (2025) at AMC, Flix, Point, Palace
Kind of like Mandy, but with surf and sunshine.
THUNDERBOLTS (2025)* at AMC, Flix, Point, Palace
UNTIL DAWN (2025) at AMC, Flix, Palace
Horror film adapted from the PlayStation video game.
WARFARE (2025) at AMC
WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY at Point, Palace
Fan Faves series
WIZARD OF OZ, THE at Palace and Point
Mother’s Day Brunch special.
WOLF CHILDREN at Point
Anime directed by Mamoru Hosoda, at Point for single screenings Sunday, May 11 through Tuesday, May 13..
Looking Ahead
Mills Folly Microcinema
Mills Folly Microcinema presents Twinning: "Gemini" and animated inspirations, curated by Jamie Griffiths, a program of surrealist and experimental animated shorts on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 7:00pm.
This program highlights Jamie Griffiths' most recent hand-drawn animation, Gemini (2024), as well as experimental work by colleagues and other luminaries that give a general sense of the context in which Gemini was made. Gemini has screened at several North American and international film festivals, including Slamdance Film Festival, Ann Arbor Film Festival, and Open World Animation Festival. Special thanks to Mills Folly programmer Grant Phipps for coordinating this screening.
Madison 48 Hour Film Project
The premiere screenings for this year’s Madison 48 Hour Film Project will be Sunday May, 18, 2025. Group A: 12:00pm–2:45pm. Group B: 3:00pm–5:45pm. Group C: 6:00pm–8:45pm. Screening details at Ticketbud.