‘She Chose Family’, Director on Ileana’s Absence

Ajay Devgn’s Raid 2 is running successfully in theatres now. The first part is a big hit and the second part is also performing well in North market. Raj Kumar Gupta is the director and Ileana has been replaced with Vaani Kapoor in the second part. Initially, there were comments that Ileana could have been roped in once again for the film. But, after the film’s release, there was no commentary again.

Interestingly, director Raj Kumar Gupta opened up about hiring Vaani Kapoor instead of Ileana for the second part. Raj Kumar Gupta stated that Ileana had married and is busy handling the family responsibilities. Stating it, he and the team reportedly did not consider Ileana for the second part.

“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,” the director said.

However, some of the fans of Ileana are not happy with these comments. Ileana is indeed taking a break from acting as she wants to enjoy her motherhood phase completely. But at the same time, it is also not fair to expect the team wait for her return. But, the choice of words and expression chose by Raj Kumar Gupta did not go well with some.

Ileana is a star heroine during her prime days. She was the first heroine to demand a crore rupees as a remuneration in Telugu, and acted with multiple stars. She enjoyed a cult fan base which also translated into success. Later, when Ileana shifted her base to North, she found success there as well. The first part of Raid may not have Ileana in full-length but her presence also helped the film gain appreciation.

On a practical note, the film industry certainly works like this and when they say that the married heroines will not have any demand, situations like this prove the fact. At the same time, this trend does not exist completely as heroines like Alia, Kareena, Deepika and others who proudly embraced motherhood are still commanding the glamour field.