India, May 16 -- Raid 2, the Ajay Devgn-starrer, has had a good run at the box-office, raking in Rs.125 crore within just 12 days of its release. The sequel has also earned widespread acclaim, both from audiences and critics. Director Rajkumar Gupta spoke to us about how the film came together - and why it had to be different from its predecessor. "It took us over a year just to lock the story," Rajkumar reveals, adding, "When we made Raid, the goal was simply to tell a story that resonated. We didn't plan a sequel then. But over time, as we came across new stories, we realised there was room to take this character forward - provided we had the right story. That's when my writers and I finally cracked it." While the first Raid was tightly confined - most of it taking place inside a single house - the sequel opted for a broader canvas: "This time, we wanted to include fictional elements inspired by real incidents," he explains, "The first one was rooted entirely in one real case. But for Raid 2, we blended fact with fiction to build a more expansive world." Importantly, Rajkumar emphasised that the shift in tone and treatment wasn't arbitrary: "We weren't just trying to be different for the sake of it. The emotion remained consistent, and the character arc stayed true - but we needed a different visual and narrative approach." One of the major shifts was the addition of Riteish Deshmukh as the antagonist - a politician going head-to-head with Ajay Devgn's character: "Casting this role was critical. He had to match up to someone like Ajay. Riteish brought gravitas, but we also worked hard to ensure he wasn't a cardboard villain. Just like Tauji (Saurabh Shukla's character in the first film), Riteish's character feels layered - someone who is human, but capable of darkness." Raid 2 also features Vaani Kapoor, Rajat Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla, Supriya Pathak and Amit Sial....