HIT 3 review: Nani's film has its moments, but it's more a miss than a hit

India Today

01-05-2025

Telugu actor Nani has been on a dream run with his cinema ventures. Fondly called 'Natural Star', the 'Hi Nanna' actor has developed a sense of confidence among the audience regarding the content of his films. While Nani does experiment with his roles quite often, with 'HIT 3' he has taken it up a notch. Loved for his innocent and endearing screen presence, the level of violence and gore in the film has left Nani's fans with the question, "Is this much violence necessary?"advertisementSimilarly, the 'HIT' franchise, which was produced by Nani's Wallposter Cinema, is a success story because of its out-of-the-box investigative thriller stories, whose presentations in the 'whodunnit' template were unique. But, from the promotional materials, it is evident that the makers are drifting towards the massy side, with Nani's 'Arjun Sarkar' in the third part. This gave rise to another significant question - Is mass action necessary in an investigative thriller?The answers to these questions could have a major impact on Nani's winning streak at the box office. Riding on high expectations, was 'HIT 3' able to live up to them? Let's find out!
Arjun Sarkar (Nani), a cop who is under trial on charges of murder, narrates the story to another convict about why he ended up in the cell. In this flashback, we see Arjun investigating a murder case in Kashmir. As the investigation goes deeper, the stakes get higher, until it reaches a point where everything goes bloody. Who is Arjun Sarkar? What is he trying to do? Why is he in jail? How deep and messed up is this case? The answers to these questions and more, make up the plot of the film.advertisement'HIT: The Third Case' is no doubt a total Nani-starrer, but that in a way has acted as a double-edged sword. Nani leaves an impact as the always-on-edge cop. From the first frame to the last, one can see Nani's brilliance in character, slaying his way through adversity, looking cool while doing it, having a vulture for a pet (sort of), and providing many moments of cheer for his fans. However, apart from Nani and his pet vulture, there is no other interesting character or performance.While the limelight stays on Nani the whole time, all other characters, including the antagonist 'Alpha', played by Prateik Babbar, display no depth, rarely leaving any interest or intrigue in their characters. Srinidhi Shetty, who plays Mrudula, Arjun's love interest, is pitched as an interesting character only to have a reveal that can be seen from a mile away. After this reveal, Srinidhi's character seems uninteresting, as she becomes a traditional second-fiddle love interest with some individual glory moments here and there, but nothing significant.Seemingly, writer-director Sailesh Kolanu has written the story keeping in mind that Nani is the protagonist. Unlike the previous instalments, 'HIT 3' lacked writing flair, as the director, in an attempt to turn massy, has undermined the core element of what made the 'HIT' universe what it is today: suspense and mystery. While on a surface level, Arjun Sarkar seems like a grey character, he is the traditional anti-hero of Indian films – a cop willing to cross lines for justice.advertisementThe protagonists in the first two parts were more flawed, and had internal turmoil to deal with, making the situations they were in more interesting. With 'HIT 3', after a point, Arjun Sarkar was more a hero than a character, further astraying from what the first two parts were about. This film is an action thriller, and not an investigative drama.The film can be broken down into three parts: the first half, the post-interval narrative, and the last half an hour (climax). The first half establishes Arjun Sarkar, the people he is working with, the case he is working on, and the levels he is willing to go to see his case through. A slightly dragged-out but interesting set-up.Post-interval, there is an extremely in-your-face genre shift that was not quite seamless. This shift towards becoming a survival/massacre action piece takes its own time to shape up, making the proceedings predictable and uninteresting. The film, however, ends with a bang, with the final thirty-odd minutes being an action spectacle with several pleasant surprises. Saving the best for the last, the emotions riled up to back the bloody action at the end is undoubtedly the biggest highlight of the film.advertisementThe technical departments play a major role in making this film as engaging as it is. Despite the flaws in the writing, the cinematography, background scores, set design, and artwork have contributed significantly. A shoutout to the art department for the convincing prosthetic hands, legs, and fingers they prepared, as there were quite a few of them being severed from people by Arjun Sarkar by the end of the film.Overall, this film got stuck between two places, neither being able to fully convince as a follow-up film from the 'HIT' universe nor being an out-and-out commercial entertainer. This limited its potential on both ends, leaving the overall impact of the film on its audience stuck somewhere in between. Despite the drawbacks, 'HIT 3' can still be considered an entertainer and a fan-feast for most of Nani's admirers. Not for those expecting to see Nani in his 'chocolate-boy' avatar, though!2.5 stars out of 5 to 'HIT: The Third Case'Must Watch