What’s it about?
Krishna Dev, also known as KD (Adivi Sesh), is a police officer in Vizag who takes on a murder case. His group unearths the mutilated body of Sanjana, a girl working in a pub. The murderer also killed three other women in addition to Sanjana, as KD and his team soon discover through their investigation.
As he gets closer to the serial killer in his investigation, he puts the life of his girlfriend (Meenakshii) in danger. Will KD be able to identify the real murderer? Can he rescue her from the serial killer’s clutches?
Analysis
“HIT” refers to the Homicide Intervention Team. The first instalment, starring Vishwak Sen, took place in Hyderabad and focused on the disappearance of a young woman (Telangana). HIT 2, the sequel, is set in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh, and opens with the murder of a young woman. Adivi Sesh, who has become the standard bearer for high-quality thrillers in Telugu cinema, stars in the sequel.
The story of “HIT 2” is standard fare for the genre and features some surprises as well. The prologue and the serial murders are established early on in the story’s first act. The prologue keeps the audience guessing until the end to see how they (the main killings and the first scene) are related. Sailesh Kolanu, the film’s director, makes shrewd use of this narrative device to maintain interest and polishes it to perfection.
Who did it, and why did it happen? These are the central questions at the heart of any good thriller. The first part focuses on the hero’s investigation into who committed the murders. In the final act, we learn the killer’s motivation and background. While the film’s first murderer may be obvious to some viewers, the director manages to keep them guessing until the film’s climactic third act.
The cinematic universe that this franchise needs is also created by Sailesh Kolanu. There are connections between Vishwak Sen’s case (the first part) and the current murder case. This ingenious combination (like Lokesh Kanagaraju did with ‘Vikram’ by including references to ‘Khaidi) is what makes the film so engaging.
With the aspect of extrajudicial killing, the thriller takes an intriguing turn midway through.
As has been mentioned, Sailesh Kolanu largely sticks to the conventions of the genre and also includes the standard red herrings. Despite some dull parts—like the romance between Meenakshi and Adivi Sesh or the interactions between Adivi Sesh and the media—his tightly focused narrative helps the film reach its target.
Aspects of this thriller may be predictable for those who watched a lot of thrillers and serial killer movies on OTT during the pandemic. However, they do not significantly dilute the film’s strength.
Despite the genre and plot constraints, director Sailesh and lead actor Adivi Sesh manage to keep us interested. Adivi Sesh is fantastic in the role of detective. He’s a natural fit for the part. He is a pro at playing such roles.
Actors Suhaas and Komalee stand out among the rest. Meenakshii, the film’s heroine, is a flat character. And so is Rao Ramesh.
Cinematographer Manikandan’s competent work and editor Garry’s sharp cuts help the film immensely. As an added bonus, the score in the background works wonderfully.
As a writer and director Kolanu shows his mark. The film also ends with the reveal about the third part.
Bottom-line: Overall, “Hit 2” is a neat investigation thriller that makes good use of common conventions in the genre. Despite minor issues, the movie is engaging all the way through. Once again, Adivi Sesh shows his mark. And the franchise continues.
Rating: 3/5
By Jalapathy Gudelli
Film: HIT 2: The Second Case
Cast: Adivi Sesh, Meenakshii Chaudhary, Suhaas, Komalee Prasad, Posani, Harshavardhan, and others
Music: MM Sree Lekha, Suresh Bobbili
Background score: John Stewart Eduri
Director of Photography: S.Manikandan
Editor: Garry
Producer: Prashanti Tipirneni
Presented by: Nani
Written and directed by: Dr. Sailesh Kolanu
Release Date: Dec 02, 2022
