Raid 2 director Raj Kumar Gupta: ‘Unfair that Riteish gets boxed in comic roles’

Riteish Deshmukh in Raid 2. Pics/Yogen Shah, Instagram

In a story, a hero is only as good as the villain. So, it was crucial that Ajay Devgn's protagonist in Raid 2 is pitted against someone who can pack a punch on screen. Enter Riteish Deshmukh as Dada Bhai, a quiet but menacing villain. Director Raj Kumar Gupta says that the actor's casting in the upcoming crime thriller is almost "serendipitous". "I had worked with Riteish on Pill [2024]. While filming the series, I realised that he would be great in Raid 2. I narrated the script to him, and he loved the character," shares the director.

In the movie, also starring Vaani Kapoor, Devgn reprises his role of income tax officer Amay Patnaik, who knocks on the door of Deshmukh's Dada Bhai, a powerful politician, for his latest raid. Gupta says that since the trailer dropped online, there has been much chatter around the actor's turn as the antagonist. "Riteish told me that people are calling him and saying, ‘What a fantastic actor you are! Where were you?' He told them that he was here all along. I think as an industry, we have a habit of stereotyping people."

Raj Kumar Gupta

Citing the example of Deshmukh who is often only considered for comic roles, the director insists that it's important to give actors a wider canvas and cast them against type. He reasons, "It's unfair that Riteish often gets boxed in comic roles. He has such incredible range. In this film, he has pulled off menacing moments so effortlessly. There is calmness to his menace that makes it more terrifying."