Hit movie review: An engaging thriller!

Director: Sailesh Kolanu

Cast: Vishwak Sen, Ruhani Sharma, Chaitanya Sagiraju, Hari Teja, Bhanu Chander, Brahmaji, Murali Sharma.

Actor Nani turned producer with Awe, which was critically acclaimed and won a National Award. For his second film as producer, HIT, he introduces Sailesh Kolanu as director. Vishwak Sen is the lead actor in this thriller.

Vikram (Vishwak Sen) is a police officer in the Homicide Intervention Team (HIT) and is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He is allotted the case of a teenager Preethi who has gone missing. Vikram’s girlfriend Neha (Ruhani Sharma) is also missing. Vikram takes up these two cases but hits a dead end. The rest of the story is whether he solves both the cases.

There are many crime web series in the OTT channels and they seem to be the inspiration for debutant Sailesh Kolanu. He doesn’t take much time to get into the story. The story moves without hiccups and unravels in a very interesting manner. The directors weaves modern investigative techniques like using DNA samples, CCTV footage and forensic analysis into the story effectively. The pace ensures the that every scene effectively takes the story forward.

It must be mentioned, however, that the movie falters towards the end. The intrigue of the early part of the movie dissipates, and the ending is not very convincing. Despite this, Sailesh has made a tense thriller with good screenplay. Sailesh holds the suspense regarding villain till the end.

Vishwak Sen is stunning and sets the mood for the film. After Vijay Deverakonda, Vishwak Sen has emerged as a notable actor from Telangana state. HIT will be a game-changer for him.

The other highlight is Chaitanya Sagiraju, who plays assistant to Vishwak Sen. For a debutant, he performs like a veteran. Ruhani Sharma has nothing much to do, Hari Teja gets a good role while Bhanu Chander and Brahmaji do a neat job. Murali Sharma justifies his important role.

Music and cinematography are very important for this genre, and both are high class: The background score by Vivek Sagar and the visuals by Manikandan. Avinash Kolla’s art work should be mentioned as the ambience and the sets look natural. Most of the dialogues are in technical language. Director Sailesh Kolanu presents a gripping thriller which steps away from the dance-song-action format and tries something different. Vishwak Sen’s brilliant performance and Vivek Sagar’s background music mark this film.