There are few Hindi films with as questionable a release timing as the new Rajkummar Rao-Sanya Malhotra starrer HIT: The First Case. Written and directed by Sailesh Kolanu, the film is virtually a shot-for-shot remake of Kolanu’s Telugu original from two years ago, but with a higher profile Hindi cast, bigger budget, set around Jaipur instead of Telangana, and with a different motive for the crime committed.
A homicide detective who is on medical leave due to PTSD is called back into the force in order to solve the missing persons case of a young woman who was last seen on the highway outside Jaipur, but his tragic past keeps getting in the way of his investigative and communication skills.
The Telugu HIT (2020) had a multitude of issues but did well enough with professional reviewers and audiences alike that a sequel by Solanu titled ‘The Second Case’ was greenlit and is slated to hit theatres on 29 July.
This begs the following question — what was the point of coming out with a Hindi version of the original film at this juncture?
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We didn’t need the Bollywood version
Upon completing 136 minutes, it is hard to say Kolanu in any way justified the need to Bollywood-ise his missing persons mystery, as he simply amplifies his original’s contrived missteps, often sapping the remake of even the basic thrills his previous film had to offer.
The remake begins with a cold open, literally and figuratively, of Rajkummar Rao’s homicide detective character, Vikram Jaisingh, trying to follow the sounds of a girl screaming while he himself is wounded in a snowy, mountainous area. Upon finding her captured in a cage enclosure, he screams in shock as the girl is seemingly burned alive, but then he wakes up on his therapist’s couch as she plainly makes clear to him the extent of his PTSD.
From the outset, Kolanu seems to promise an introspective, contemplative depiction of the impact of trauma on a capable cop – Vikram Jaisingh (Rajkummar Rao) – and how it not only erodes his mental health but also his relationships. But in typical schlocky fashion under the pretext of adding pulpy thrills, he pulls the rug out from under you instead by putting Vikram through the same violent flashbacks two dozen times alongside melodramatic music.
Rather than putting effort into showcasing some emotional depth or a three-dimensional character arc, Kolanu simply bashes you over the head when depicting PTSD and consequence-free police brutality. Perhaps HIT’s worst constructed elements revolve around Vikram’s rocky relationship with Neha (Sanya Malhotra), as the actors’ conversations lack chemistry – complete with wooden dialogues and endless montages that feel more like advertising for Rajasthan Tourism than an organically developed romance between detectives.
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Even Rajkummar Rao can’t save it
The only aspect that saves this rote remake from being completely unwatchable is the acting, especially Rajkummar Rao who always gives his all, no matter how terrible the material. But a couple of the character actors that make up the remainder of the ensemble also stand out, particularly Milind Gunaji, who plays police officer and key eyewitness Ibrahim, in by far the most realistic character arc of the film and one of the few worth being emotionally invested in.
However, even their efforts are ultimately undone by inane drawn-out recurring twists in the disappearance case that wouldn’t even be fit for purpose in Kenneth Branagh’s butchering adaptations of Hercule Poirot novels. If you enjoyed the 2020 Telugu film and are looking for more, wait a fortnight for the sequel instead. For those who expect more from their murder mysteries, there’s always the many rewatchable Byomkesh Bakshy films.
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