HIT: The 3rd Case

HIT 3 is the third installment in the HIT series, and this time, Natural Star Nani plays the lead. Nani has been on a solid streak lately-not just as an actor delivering back-to-back hits, but also as a producer, backing films like Court. He has that relatable, common-man charm, and he often says he listens to stories as an audience member first, not with any box office calculations in mind.

However, lately, he seems to be making a serious effort to rebrand himself as an action hero-with films like Dasara, Saripodhaa Sanivaaram, and now HIT 3. This film feels like another attempt in that direction, but unlike his earlier efforts, it doesn't quite land.

In his previous films, the strength of the story helped audiences accept him in intense roles. But HIT 3 lacks that grip. It feels like a mashup of various recent movies and internet stories, without a clear, fresh voice. Director Sailesh Kolanu had an interesting premise-mystery murders happening across India-but he failed to explore the characters deeply, especially the hero and the villain.

Nani plays Arjun Sarkar, a brooding, angry cop. But we never get a proper explanation for his rage. Is it childhood trauma? Personal loss? Without those layers, his character feels forced. For someone like Nani, who's known for his boy-next-door charm and emotional depth, we need a well-written role to justify this kind of aggression-like in Saripodhaa Sanivaaram, where his intensity was rooted in a solid backstory. That kind of writing is missing here.

The villain is another big letdown. Why cast someone just because they're tall and muscular when they can't even speak proper Telugu? It's not about appearance-HIT 2 had a villain who was just a regular dental doctor, yet he sent chills down the spine with his performance. That kind of impact comes from acting, not abs.

Also, I didn't understand the need for so many cuss words. Is it to sound edgy? It just felt unnecessary. Big action films like KGF, Leo, or Vikram have intense violence and mass appeal, but they don't rely on foul language to make an impact. It's possible to be gritty without being vulgar.

Another misfire is the background music by Mickey J Meyer. I'm not sure who thought he was the right choice for an adrenaline-pumping action thriller. His music is generally soothing and melodic, which doesn't match the mood this film needed. With the right BGM, several scenes could have had a lot more impact. Also, the track between Nani and Srinidhi Shetty feels too similar to something from a recent Venkatesh film. And that scene where Srinidhi uses AI to make Nani's mother speak through an old photo? It was awkward and out of place. I don't know how that made it past editing.

To be fair, the screenplay has its moments, especially in the action sequences. But overall, the film leans more on stylish stunts than strong writing or emotional engagement. The final sequence dragged on too long-I found myself checking my phone until the cameo appearances showed up. Introducing the HIT 4 hero at the end was a nice idea, but if Sailesh continues in this direction, it's going to be hard to build any real excitement around the series.

This film might still do decently at the box office thanks to Nani's popularity. But as a movie, it's just average.

The HIT franchise, which began with a promising start, has unfortunately seen a steady decline in narrative quality and originality with each installment.

HIT-1, while not without flaws, stood out for introducing the investigation thriller genre to mainstream Telugu cinema. The storytelling had noticeable shortcomings-particularly in pacing and a rather underwhelming, even silly, climax. However, it managed to keep audiences reasonably engaged with its freshness and novelty, which contributed to its success.

HIT-2, though attempting to build upon its predecessor, ended up being a weaker effort overall. Despite a few intriguing elements, the film suffered from a lack of narrative depth and an even less impactful climax. The genre conventions felt overly familiar, and the execution lacked the tension and originality expected from a thriller, making it feel like a retread of what we've seen before-only with less conviction.

HIT-3, regrettably, falls further down the slope. It leans heavily on violence and genre clichés, offering very little in terms of fresh content or emotional engagement. The film feels like a generic action thriller with a glossy exterior-thanks largely to improved production values and a notable star cast-but devoid of substance.

The first half trudges through a formulaic investigation arc that adds no innovation to the narrative. The second half abruptly shifts into a survival-action mode, seemingly inspired by the John Wick franchise, but lacks its finesse or justification. The action is over-the-top, the violence excessive, and the plot twists are painfully predictable. As a result, the film loses credibility and emotional connection with the audience.

Overall, HIT-3 feels overly cinematic and detached from reality, sacrificing depth for style. It's unfortunate that a franchise that began with potential has now become an exercise in style over substance.

As expected, the movie is more of a brutal action thriller with survival element, than a procedural investigative thriller, so yeah, that's bit disappointing I had so many apprehensions about Nani's portrayal in this movie, but surprisingly, he's the major asset of the film, he get the attitude and pitch of the character right, though lacks the physique to make those action scenes look believable, nothing much to speak about rest of the cast First half is good, keeps you hooked throughout, despite the lack of high. But the second half is a bummer, becoming a survival drama with heavy dose of violence, and one too many cameos Technically, movie lacks technical finesse, cinematography by Sanu Varghese is so shaky in those action scenes, which already look so routine and nothing outstanding, second half needed some editing by Karthika Srinivas, music and BGM by Mickey are generic and Dull.

Coming to Sailesh Kolanu, his major strengths are attention to details in those investigations, sadly he deviated from them since Saindhav and HIT 3 suffers the same fate

BOTTOMLINE: WATCH FOR NANI WITH EXPECTATIONS IN CHECK.

If you're looking for an investigative drama, look somewhere else. There's hardly any twists in the story. Just plain garbage. The protagonist just smokes cigars half the time to look cool and does senseless things the other time.

Compared to the last 2 movies this one falls completely short . It's just selling on the name of last 2 movies but has no story and mediocre acting. The characters have zero depth, no effort is made to build their motivations.

The only good thing might be the fact that does give you enough to keep a slim interest in what happens next. My wife still slept through it though.

Compared to first and second cases this one does not have much twists it's is just a regular crime story but the taking the screenplay NANI acting, violence and gore scenes of the film make it amazing. For those who like action and violence will definitely enjoy the film but for people who are intrested in the story may not enjoy it much. But still visuals and technically it is very good. Even the action choreography was nice with utmost realism like not putting finger on the trigger all the time handling gun professional and ofcourse in some parts of action movie team took cinematic liberty like chopping of thighs in one swing which is impossible for humans as thighs are one of the hardest bones in human body. And the long take during action was awesome it gave a vibe of extraction. When nani's body is shown in the end with all the muscles you will be convinced that this person can really kill as many people as he did on the screen. Cameo's gave high at the end of the movie.