The sequel HIT: The Second Case is like your bowl of comfort food. For me, that is a plate of chhole bhature. The bhatura has to be fluffy, crisp yet supple with paneer kneaded into the dough so that it peeks through the inner layer. The chhole has to be medium-spiced with just the right amount of gravy for the flavours to swim through the bowl. And, of course with a generous serving of salad on the side. If everything is precisely the way I want, I would devour it every day. The second instalment in the Telugu HIT Verse is exactly that — old recipe served in a new set of cutlery.
The mystery thriller film, written and directed by Sailesh Kolanu, stars Adivi Sesh and Meenakshi Chaudhary in the lead roles. Kolanu has managed to create a bankable and gripping series, and The Second Case is a worthy successor in the line.
The film revolves around Krishna Dev (Adivi Sesh), better known as KD, who is a police officer in Andhra Pradesh’s Homicide Intervention Team. He is known to solve murder investigations within five minutes. He believes that criminals are “dumb” and “bird-brained.” His belief is ruthlessly shattered when a gruesome case comes knocking at his door. A dead body is found and its head, torso, arms and legs all belong to four different women. Some circumstantial evidence lead him to an easy suspect but just as we approach the intermission— the film enters murky waters. The investigation, what seemed like a wild goose chase at first, comes together as KD is pushed to the corner.
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Thriller of the year
The premise is a standard template of the hero solving a seemingly unsolvable mystery and saving the day. But Kolanu casts his own brand of treatment, which is worth sitting through the 150-minute film. The way he handles the conflicts, loopholes and the twists make the film richer.
Adivi Sesh, leading the fairly decent cast, performs to the gallery. Be it KD’s suave personality, sharp skills as the officer or his appealing swagger, he nails the part. Chaudhary as his partner (Aarya) has also done a fine job. The biggest bummer of the film comes in form the culprit’s weird casting in the climax. While the back story of the culprit is solid, the choice of casting brings down the whole magnitude drastically.
The film, thoroughly engaging and gripping, is one of the best mystery thrillers of the year. Even if you have not watched the first one in the series, nothing is lost. The Second Case works well as a standalone film.
While HIT: The Second Case stands on its feet for the most part, the biggest applause is received by the superstar who would be headlining HIT: The Third Case. Now, that’s something to look forward to.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)
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