Iti Shree Misra (BOMBAY TIMES; December 7, 2017)

For Ram Raksha Singh, an assistant sub inspector of the UP Police, sharing screen space with his idol Ajay Devgn in the film Raid, was more than a dream come true. But, for Ajay Devgn to especially come and meet Singh and then introduce him to all the cast and crew of the film and tell them that Singh was not the ‘nakli’ cop but an ‘asli’ one in real life, was like the “heaven’s blessings”. “My life has changed completely ever since that article was published about me working with Ajay Devgn in Raid. He read the article and would look at me while we were on the set. And then a couple of days later, he walked up to me, smiled and shook my hand. He told me that he had read the article and then introduced me to Saurabh Shukla and said, ‘You know? He’s a real cop!’ It was probably the most precious moment of my life,” says an excited Ram Raksha, who wrapped up his part of the film’s shooting in Lucknow on Sunday. “I shot with Ajay for about a month and there was not a single person he didn’t tell about me. He also told Ileana D’Cruz about me and how I was a policeman in real life, too. He even praised my style. Unhone director sahab, Raj Kumar Gupta ko meri uniform dikhayi aur bole, ‘Inki uniform dekhiye. Kitni perfect hai kyunki yeh real-life police officer hain.’ The article familiarised me with Ajay Devgn and now, he knows who I am apart from being just another actor on sets and that I feel is a big thing for me.”

Playing the role of a policeman who accompanies Ajay on the income tax raids he conducts, Ram Raksha says that to be working in such close proximity of his favourite star was a bit daunting at first, but Ajay’s casual and friendly attitude made things easier for the cop who took time out from work to act in this film. “Itne din Ajay ke saath kaam karke maine realise kiya ki woh police walon ki bahut izzat karte hain. He really holds our profession in high regard and needless to say, I am extremely proud of being a policeman,” says Ram Raksha.

Similar was the case with Abdul Salaam Siddiqui, a sub-inspector of the UP Police, who has also shot a few scenes with Ajay Devgn in the film. “I met Ajay a couple of times after the article appeared and he recognized me immediately. He told me that he had read the article and it was a matter of pride for him to be working with two real cops in the film,” says Siddiqui who still has a few scenes to shoot with the GangaaJal actor.