In 2020, director Sailesh Kolanu made a smashing debut with HIT: The First Case. This one remains his only impeccable film (relatively speaking) to date. HIT: The Second Case, which was released two years later, was largely okay but it was barely nail-biting. The thriller was middling in some respects. His third film, Saindhav, was not part of the HIT franchise. And it was atrociously bland. Sailesh relied too heavily on Venkatesh's stardom, attempting an image makeover. Not a speck of the intended rawness reflected in the end product. The film, released during Sankranthi 2024, was a disaster.
Sailesh's fourth film, HIT: The Third Case, has Nani taking on the role of the lead actor. Its Teaser is decidedly uninspired, and feels like a rip-off of familiar aesthetics. Nani's angry cop characterization must come with an excellent backstory, ideally. Nani's Arjun Sarkaar may indeed come with mystique and aura, but Sailesh's track record doesn't inspire confidence. He has been consistently weak with writing back stories. He sets up the premise well, but screws up the flashback. His best film to date, HIT: The First Case, suffered from this flaw.
HIT: The Third Case will be a 'now or never' project for Sailesh Kolanu. Considering Nani has the capacity to turn anything into gold, the director might just surprise the audience.
