Ileana D’Cruz has finally opened up about her absence from Raid 2, addressing the surprise casting change that saw Vaani Kapoor stepping into her role. In a heartfelt and gracious response during an Instagram AMA, Ileana explained the scheduling conflicts that prevented her from returning while also praising Vaani’s performance, winning widespread admiration from fans for her humility and class.During an AMA session on Instagram, a fan asked, “Missed you in Raid 2 and missing you in Indian films. When are you making a comeback?” In response, Ileana revealed that she had been offered the role in Raid 2 but declined it due to scheduling issues. She wrote, “I miss working in movies too, and I would have loved to be a part of Raid 2. Raid was a special film, and Malini was such a special character to play. Working with my director, Raj Kumar Gupta, was a wonderful experience, as was working with Ajay again. The makers of Raid 2 did offer the movie to me, but unfortunately, we couldn’t work out the schedule, given that I had just had my baby and my priorities are very different at the moment.”She also expressed admiration for Vaani Kapoor, acknowledging that Vaani brought her own unique charm to the role and looked wonderful in the film’s promos, hoping to clear up any confusion among fans.As soon as she answered the questions, fans showered appreciation for the actress. While one fan wrote, ‘Wow, what a lovely gracious reply. First time I’ve ever heard a heroine praise someone else so much. Ileana was always too classy for Bollywood’, another one added, ‘Just lifted her competitor up without any selfishness.’Directed by Raj Kumar Gupta, the sequel to Raid features Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, and Vaani Kapoor in lead roles, with Rajat Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla, Supriya Pathak, and Amit Sial in pivotal supporting roles. The film has grossed Rs 228 crore worldwide within a month of its release.
