Movie Name : HIT 3
Release Date : May 1, 2025
Cast : Nani, Srinidhi Shetty, Rao Ramesh, Prateik Babbar, Samuthirakani, Komali Prasad etc.
Director : Sailesh Kolanu
Music Director : Mickey J. Meyer
Telugumopo.com Rating : 2.75/5
Story:
Arjun Sarkar is a committed police officer with a personal philosophy of no nonsense. As SP of the Homicide Intervention Team (HIT), he has a reputation for his fiery temperament as well as his straightforward demeanor. He has defined his police career as committing to giving criminals their due from society without showing them any mercy. While based in Kashmir Arjun is intrigued by a strange case, that after some time, seems almost impossible to unravel and offers no clarity of an eventual resolution. As Arjun progresses through the investigation into the case he is met with surprising and astonishing challenges, eventually finding himself wrongly accused of murder and imprisoned. What can this bizarre case be? How far is Arjun willing to go to find the truth? These are the questions that pave the way for a gripping, suspenseful tale that grips the audience by their very seats.
Review:
Nani once again showcased his incomparable talent in HIT-3, performing with an energy that is still making waves. Having performed in his intense and raw form in Dasara, Nani infuses his character, Arjun Sarkar, a no-nonsense and strong-willed police officer, with a new dimension of aggression and nuance. His performance as Arjun is the backbone of the film, delivering an equal amount of heroism and intensity that holds viewers spellbound from beginning to end.
Female lead Srinidhi Shetty does her part but gets too little screen space. She initially plays a down-to-earth girl-next-door before her character does some development, though it isn’t something one remembers. Antagonist, a Bollywood star Prateik Babbar, puts his signature on the character but doesn’t bring the necessary depth to help the villain remain in the viewer’s memory. Supporting actors like Komali Prasad, Rao Ramesh, and Samuthirakani play their roles well, although they don’t significantly impact the emotional core of the film.
While Nani’s performance is undoubtedly the highlight of HIT-3, it also brings some of the film’s weaknesses to the forefront. The heavy focus on Arjun Sarkar sometimes overshadows the plot, with his relentless, no-mercy approach to crime taking center stage. His line, “Criminals should either be buried or locked away,” sets the tone early on, keeping the audience hooked on how far Arjun will go to deliver justice. Despite the familiar trope of the angry cop, Nani’s unique take on the role offers a fresh and engaging perspective.
But the story itself does not carry the same charge of excitement throughout. The early crime setups are intriguing, but they slowly lose steam. The repeating murders in various settings begin to seem mechanical, and although the initial mystery surrounding the murders is intriguing, the narrative becomes increasingly predictable as it proceeds. When the investigation hits a roadblock, the tension that could have driven the film starts to dissipate, and the crime setup becomes less charged.
Nani’s entry into the risky world of a crime syndicate, which had the potential to be an engaging story, comes across as surprisingly easy. The absence of opposition in his quest takes away from the tension, and the movie’s overdependence on violence and heroism for action scenes takes away from the overall tension. The climax, which should have been the highlight of the movie, comes across as anticlimactic, and even Adivi Sesh’s cameo does not have the intended effect on the story. And the another cameo of Kartik setting up the next HIT film doesn’t add much to HIT-3.
Music by Mickey J. Meyer, a departure from his typical assignment, lacks the fire that would be expected of fans. The songs are memorable only to an extent and do not really augment the mood of the movie to any large extent. But the background score fits the mood of the film appropriately, infusing the action sequences with vigor. Cinematographer Sanu Varghese excels with stunning visuals that raise the aesthetic of the film, and the production standards are high, with the gorgeous Kashmir landscape and other settings bringing depth to the experience.
Director and screenwriter Sailesh Kolanu, who previously worked on Saindhav, brings his own style to HIT-3. Whereas his concentration on the character of Nani is apparent, the case that forms the core of the movie doesn’t create the same sense of fascination as in the earlier episodes of the HIT franchise. The criminal aspects are lukewarm, and the violent edge that had made earlier HIT movies so enthralling is missing here to a considerable degree. While Kolanu succeeds in engaging the audience, the movie could have used a more tightly constructed, well-written plot. Tighter twists and greater emphasis on the crime elements would have made HIT-3 a more exciting and effective experience.
Overall, HIT-3 is a movie led by a fantastic performance by Nani but suffers from a plot that cannot meet the expectations created by its prequel. With a better crime story and crisper pacing, the movie could have given the audience a more thrilling experience.
