:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Health-GettyImages-CookingWithCoconutOil-e59511941ac44928b5e6a43c7aef8a49.jpg)
Ajay Devgn-Riteish Deshmukh starrer Raid 2 continues to successfully run in theatres, having been released on May 1, 2025. Sequel to the 2018 film, it takes forward the story of courageous Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Amay Patnaik, essayed by Devgn. While the audiences have been hyping up the film, Ileana D’Cruz being replaced with Vaani Kapoor left the fans a little miffed. D’Cruz had essayed the role of Patnaik’s wife Malini Patnaik in the first instalment. Now, the director of the 2025 film has opened up about the same.
Shedding light on the casting decision to replace the actress and choosing Vaani over Ileana, he revealed that it was due to the Barfi actress’ personal circumstances that they decided to go with the other actress. He explained that since she is married, with a kid, and relocated internationally, her priorities had changed. Quoted by the Free Press Journal. He said, “She was married, started a family, and had a child. Ileana had her priorities, and she shifted out of India. We had a great time working together, and she will always be a part of the Raid world.”
He went on to establish that since she was a pivotal part of the 2018 film, the 38-year-old actress will always be a part of Raid, and that there is no negativity around Vaani replacing her. Kumar mentioned that many films go through similar casting changes due to unavoidable circumstances. “Pehle bhi change hua hai, iss mein bhi hua hai. Situation aise ho jate hai ki ek character alag actors nibhate hai. Ileana is a part of the Raid world, and that can’t be denied,” he said.
This is not the first time someone has addressed the matter. During the trailer launch of Raid 2, Vaani herself had issued a clarification upon being asked about replacing Ileana in the film’s sequel. She had said. “No jealousy with the previous one. We share a great equation off-screen. You just try to play your part in the most authentic manner and follow the brief of the director and writer. This film showcases a different side of me. It felt new and refreshing.”
Directed by Kumar Gupta, Raid 2’s script is written by Ritesh Shah, Karan Vyas, and Jaideep Yadav. Set to release on May 1, 2025, the film stars Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Vaani Kapoor, Rajat Kapoor, Supriya Pathak, Amit Sial, and Yashpal Sharma. Actor Saurabh Shukla will be seen reprising his role as Tauji. For those who don’t know, the first instalment of Raid, which was released in 2018, was inspired by a real-life income tax raid conducted in the 1980s. However, in the second instalment, Devgn’s character takes on an income tax raid worth Rs 4,200 crores.
