The second film in the HIT (Homicide Intervention Team) franchise is a study in contrast with the first one. The setting moves to Visakhapatnam from Hyderabad and in place of the brooding cop Vikram Rudraraju (Vishwak Sen) grappling with post traumatic stress while trying to solve a tough case, is the cool KD (Krishna Dev) who has a smart alec manner of speaking and is a chai addict. Visiting a crime scene can wait for a few minutes, first chai !
Manikandan's camera captures the airy expanse of Vizag in wide frames and the unhurried pace of the city in the opening portions.
HIT - The Second Case has a tightly woven, two-hour narrative that presents a chapter in the life of police officer KD. The different aspects of his life unravel smoothly. KD's romance with Aarya (Meenakshi Chaudhary) deals with live-in relationships matter-of-factly and the couple's exchange of words with Aarya's mother (played by Geetha Bhascker) has some fun moments. At work, KD uses his sarcasm to counter his superior (Rao Ramesh), and the equation he shares with his small team has room for both trust and friction.
Abhilash (Maganti Srinath), who we saw in HIT - The First Case, makes his presence felt here as well. HIT - The Second Case works well as a standalone film but for those who have seen the first one, Sailesh places a few Easter eggs to link the HIT Universe and spotting them amplifies the entertainment quotient.
A tonal shift happens when Vizag is jolted by a gruesome murder that brings to the fore questions of women's safety. The story has several tropes associated with the genre - a psychopath killer on the loose, his motive that stems from a twisted understanding of women, and the plight of hapless victims and their families. KD, his trusted dog Max, and his team which includes forensic officer Varsha (Komalee Prasad) discover that the crime is murkier than they had imagined. It is appreciable that the film does not get voyeuristic as it depicts the gruesome incidents.
The way the climax portion taps KD's sharp tongue, even if it isn't politically correct, keeps us invested. The final portions also tap into the emotional side of Adivi Sesh as an actor and he is impressive. His characterisation gives him the scope to be suave, sometimes nasty and at times romantic and he digs in with delight, owning both his character and the film. Meenakshi Chaudhary has a good screen presence and her character is thankfully not a prop. In the brief part assigned to her, Komalee Prasad makes an impression.
HIT - The Second Case ends on a high note, offering a glimpse of Arjun Sarkar (Nani himself) who will take centre stage in HIT - The Third Case as a ruthless cop. The HIT Universe holds immense promise and it will be interesting to see what Dr. Sailesh Kolanu has in store.
Manikandan's camera captures the airy expanse of Vizag in wide frames and the unhurried pace of the city in the opening portions.
HIT - The Second Case has a tightly woven, two-hour narrative that presents a chapter in the life of police officer KD. The different aspects of his life unravel smoothly. KD's romance with Aarya (Meenakshi Chaudhary) deals with live-in relationships matter-of-factly and the couple's exchange of words with Aarya's mother (played by Geetha Bhascker) has some fun moments. At work, KD uses his sarcasm to counter his superior (Rao Ramesh), and the equation he shares with his small team has room for both trust and friction.
Abhilash (Maganti Srinath), who we saw in HIT - The First Case, makes his presence felt here as well. HIT - The Second Case works well as a standalone film but for those who have seen the first one, Sailesh places a few Easter eggs to link the HIT Universe and spotting them amplifies the entertainment quotient.
A tonal shift happens when Vizag is jolted by a gruesome murder that brings to the fore questions of women's safety. The story has several tropes associated with the genre - a psychopath killer on the loose, his motive that stems from a twisted understanding of women, and the plight of hapless victims and their families. KD, his trusted dog Max, and his team which includes forensic officer Varsha (Komalee Prasad) discover that the crime is murkier than they had imagined. It is appreciable that the film does not get voyeuristic as it depicts the gruesome incidents.
The way the climax portion taps KD's sharp tongue, even if it isn't politically correct, keeps us invested. The final portions also tap into the emotional side of Adivi Sesh as an actor and he is impressive. His characterisation gives him the scope to be suave, sometimes nasty and at times romantic and he digs in with delight, owning both his character and the film. Meenakshi Chaudhary has a good screen presence and her character is thankfully not a prop. In the brief part assigned to her, Komalee Prasad makes an impression.
HIT - The Second Case ends on a high note, offering a glimpse of Arjun Sarkar (Nani himself) who will take centre stage in HIT - The Third Case as a ruthless cop. The HIT Universe holds immense promise and it will be interesting to see what Dr. Sailesh Kolanu has in store.