Raid: Ajay Devgn's upcoming film inspired by high-stakes income tax raids conducted in the 80s

The first look poster of Ajay Devgn’s upcoming film Raid was released recently. The poster managed to pique the curiosity of the viewers precisely because the actor was sitting between wads of cash and stacks of gold bars. It is a fact well known by now that Devgn is playing a stern income tax officer in his next. However, the film is inspired by the the real life I-T raids that were conducted by Indian Revenue Services back in the ’80s, reports DNA. [caption id=“attachment_4337737” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Ajay Devgn in a still from Raid. YouTube[/caption] A former officer told the publication in an interview what went on behind those raids and how the team successfully carried them out in unfavourable situations. “We would pick teams of honest officers, who would do thorough research and not depend on information based on hearsay. After a careful analysis, we would decide on whether to conduct the raid or not and accordingly get our senior’s approval for it,” he tells DNA. These raids were conducted secretly, cutting any source of communication from the place of interest. Often, these operations were conducted amid high political pressure from the parties. The control room had to be updated about every single discovery that was made and scanning every object in the place was crucial because people would hide their assets in the strangest places. Everything from the children’s math textbooks to mattresses and fall ceilings had to be inspected for any hidden codes. Therefore, Devgn will be playing one such officer in the UP-set film. The film also stars Ileana D’Cruz and Saurabh Shukla. Raid will be the second collaboration of D’Cruz with Devgn after 2017’s Baadshaho. Director Raj Kumar Gupta’s filmography includes the likes of Ghanchakkar (2013), No One Killed Jessica(2011) and Aamir (2008). Raid is slated to release on 16 March, 2018.