With the epic Adivi Sesh ahead, director Sailesh Kolanu delivers a gripping crime drama in ‘HIT: Case II’ and sets the scene for ‘HIT 3’
In the pre-break episode of the Telugu movie HIT: The Second Case or HIT 2, we see Krishna Dev aka KD (Adivi Sesh), a petty cop, challenging like never before. Since he has limited power, he must expect to change the course of events. Being pushed to the edge and trying to stay on the right side of the moral compass, he does things that cause pain in the movie theater. The “HIT Universe” or “HIT-verse,” created by writer and director Sailesh Kolanu, has smart cop protagonists who do not rely on muscle power. Telugu movies can do with many of these stories.
The second film titled HIT (Homicide Intervention Team) is a different study from the first. The set travels to Visakhapatnam from Hyderabad and instead of pushing cop Vikram Rudraraju (Vishwak Sen) who is struggling with post-traumatic stress while trying to solve a difficult case, it is the calm KD who has a subtle way of talking alec and is a chai addict. Visiting the crime scene can wait a few minutes, first chai.
Manikandan’s camera captures the atmosphere of Vizag in wide frames and the leisurely moments of the city in the first part.
HIT 2 has a two-hour long story with chapters on the life of police officer KD. Different parts of his life are going well. KD’s romantic relationship with Aarya (Meenakshi Chaudhary) is about intimacy and the couple’s exchange of words with Aarya’s mother (played by Geetha Bhascker) has funny moments. At work, KD uses his insults against his boss (Rao Ramesh), his equality with his junior team leaves room for trust and conflict.
sh in director Sailesh Kolanu crime drama “HIT 2”
In the pre-break episode of the Telugu movie HIT: The Second Case or HIT 2, we see Krishna Dev aka KD (Adivi Sesh), a petty cop, challenging like never before. Since he has limited power, he must expect to change the course of events. Being pushed to the edge and trying to stay on the right side of the moral compass, he does things that cause pain in the movie theater. The “HIT Universe” or “HIT-verse,” created by writer and director Sailesh Kolanu, has smart cop protagonists who do not rely on muscle power. Telugu movies can do with many of these stories.
The second film titled HIT (Homicide Intervention Team) is a different study from the first. The set goes to Visakhapatnam from Hyderabad instead of pushing cop Vikram Rudraraju (Vishwak Sen) who is struggling with post-traumatic stress while trying to solve a difficult case, is a quiet KD who has a subtle way of talking alec but become a chai addict. Visiting the crime scene can wait a few minutes, first chai!
Manikandan’s camera captures the atmosphere of Vizag in wide frames and the leisurely moments of the city in the first part. HIT 2 (SAY: 2nd trial)
Starring: Adivi Sesh, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Komalee Prasad
Director: Sailesh Kolanu
Music: Messrs Sree Lekha, Suresh Bobbili and John Stewart Eduri
HIT 2 has a two-hour long story with chapters on the life of police officer KD. Different parts of his life are going well. KD’s romantic relationship with Aarya (Meenakshi Chaudhary) is about intimacy and the couple’s exchange of words with Aarya’s mother (played by Geetha Bhascker) has funny moments. At work, KD uses his insults against his boss (Rao Ramesh), his equality with his junior team leaves room for trust and conflict. Abhilash (Magni Srinath), who we saw in HIT 1, also makes his presence felt here.
HIT 2 works well as a stand-alone film, but for those who saw the first one, Sailesh laid out a few Easter eggs to tie the HIT universe together and see them add to the entertainment. The change in tone comes as Vizag is rocked by a gruesome murder that raises questions about women’s safety.
The story has many tropes associated with the genre – a psychopathic killer, the reason for which is the distorted understanding of women and the symbols of those who are not good in their families. KD, his trusted dog Max, and his team including detective Varsha ( komalee Prasad) discover that the crime is darker than they thought. It’s good that the movie doesn’t get voyeuristic as it shows the gruesome events. The story speaks volumes about the police encounter turning into an instrument of public happiness.
The situation is turning darker with every passing minute, and KD lives up to his laid-back look and quickly makes the city feel safe. The beautiful brick-walled villa that KD lives in, which used to function as a romantic setting, is becoming a disaster. John Stewart Eduri’s background score fills these frames with a sense of dread. New characters are introduced during the investigation and it is easy to connect the thread and guess the killer and his motives. This part of the story could have been better known. The movie is never ending, but the sign of the explosive danger will be to keep the audience on the edge of their seats and surprise by connecting the hidden symbols in this wow moment.
HIT 1, whose protagonists use their knowledge and Sherlock-ian observation to solve cases, is more complex in its investigation. The final revelation came from a new trick that the audience would have had no way of telling. HIT 2 does a better job of tailoring and motivating the killer, but it can still be good
However, KD’s sharp tongue-in-cheek climate, though not political, makes us invest. Other parts also go into the emotional side of Adivi Sesh as an actor and it is interesting. His description gives him the ability to be gentle, sometimes he appears and sometimes he is romantic and he plays fun, with both his character and the film. Meenakshi Chaudhary has a good screen presence and her character is understated. In the small roles given to him, Komalee Prasad makes an impact.
HIT 2 ended on a high note, giving details of the actor who will take center stage in HIT 3 as a ruthless police officer. HIT Universe is very promising and it will be interesting to see what Sailesh Kolanu has in store. Last year, Tamil cinema raised the bar in LCU (or Lokesh Kanagaraj Cinematic Universe) with Kamal Haasan starrer Vikram to which Lokesh tied his previous film Kaithi and set the stage for a bigger universe. . Similarly, HIT-verses can be an interesting addition to Telugu cinema and require beautiful and clever writing.
