Mumbai, April 8 (IANS) Actor Riteish Deshmukh gave a miss to the trailer launch event of his much-awaited sequel "Raid 2" as he was pre-occupied with the directorial duties for his historical magnum opus, "Raja Shivaji".

The sources revealed, “Due to his directorial commitments and packed shoot schedule, Riteish couldn’t make it to the 'Raid 2' trailer launch, though he truly wished to be there."

Despite not being at the event, Riteish extended his best wishes to the entire "Raid 2" team and was excited to see how audiences react to the trailer.

Talking about the trailer of "Raid 2", the preview shows Income Tax officer Amay Patnaik (Ajay Devgn) taking on his most ruthless opponent, Dadabhai (Riteish Deshmukh).

While Ajay owns the screen with his signature intensity, Riteish is seen in a promising new avatar as an influential politician.

The movie will also see Saurabh Shukla reprising his role as Rameshwar Singh from the original drama, whereas Vaani Kapoor has replaced Illeana D’Cruz as Amay Pathak's wife.

Helmed by Raj Kumar Gupta, ‘Raid 2’ is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak, and Krishan Kumar.

Presented by Gulshan Kumar and T-Series, the project is a sequel to the 2018 thriller, "Raid".

The second installment in the franchise will be arriving in cinemas on May 1, 2025.

Now, shifting our focus to "Raja Shivaji", the passion project will see Riteish donning multiple hats of an actor, producer, and director. The film has been made under Riteish's home banner Mumbai Film Company in collaboration with Jio Studios.

It is based on the life of the iconic Maratha warrior, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

With "Raid 2" nearing release and magnum opus "Raja Shivaji" in the works, 2025 seems to be a promising year for Riteish.