Actress Ileana D'Cruz, who was last seen in the 2024 film Do Aur Do Pyaar, has reacted to being replaced by Vaani Kapoor in Raid 2, where Kapoor took over the role of Malini Patnaik — originally portrayed by Ileana in the 2018 Ajay Devgn-starrer. On Saturday evening, the actress hosted a Q&A session with her fans on Instagram, during which a user said she was missed in Raid 2 and also asked about her return to Hindi films.
To which, Ileana said, "I miss working in movies too, and I would have loved to be a part of Raid 2. Raid was a special film, but Malini was such a special character to play and 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."
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Further, Ileana also praised Vaani's performance in Raid 2 and said, "I think Vaani looked lovely in all the promos I've seen, and I'm sure she brought her own lovely charm to her character. Hope that clears any confusion."
Earlier, Raid 2 director Raj Kumar Gupta opened up about the casting decision, revealing why he chose Vaani over Ileana. He told Zoom, "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."
Ileana is expecting her second child with husband Michael Dolan, whom she married in 2023.
