The cat-and-mouse chase between a laidback cop who’s been pushed to his breaking point and a demented psychopath who hides in plain sight makes up the plot of Sailesh Kolanu’s second installment in the “HIT” franchise. KD, a humorous cop with a fondness for chai who loves going on runs on the beaches of Visakhapatnam with his dog Max, has to pull out all the stops when a series of gruesome murders start happening in the city. “HIT: The Second Case” explores several themes that haven’t been shown in detail in Indian cinema and takes a deeper look into the twisted nature of psychopaths, though treating it with appropriate reproach and disdain. Apart from dropping a few Easter eggs that join the dots with the first movie set in Hyderabad, it also introduces the star for the third installment as the credits start rolling. Although the movie has its flaws, much of its second half will keep you on the edge of your seat. Here’s everything that happens in “HIT: The Second Case.”
Spoilers Ahead
A Look Into The Past
“HIT: The Second Case” opens with Ram Prasad Koduri, a genial and polite man whose world comes crumbling down when he catches his wife Jhansi having an extramarital affair. While already heartbroken, he’s arrested on false charges of domestic abuse by his wife. His reputation is destroyed, and he’s ostracized by society; he puts all his attention on building a tree house and smiles painfully at his handiwork when finished.
KD (Adivi Sesh) is a happy-go-lucky cop who solves murder mysteries with ease and downs cups of chai, although he isn’t a big fan of the media. The first time we see him, he apprehends a criminal within moments of entering the crime scene and later tells the media that catching these dim-witted criminals hardly takes a lot of time. Abhilash (Magati Srinath) returns for the second installment as KD’s friend and Hyderabad contact, and KD shares a rocky relationship with his colleague, Varsha. We’re also introduced to Aryaa (Meenakshi Chaudhary), KD’s girlfriend, who runs a boutique and is an active member of a women’s rights organization. The film spends some time establishing the love that KD and Aryaa share, culminating with him asking her to move in with him in his spacious residence. Aryaa’s mother arrives to chide the two but gradually softens upon learning that the two are in love.
The Murder…Or Murders?
The main plot of “HIT: The Second Case” kicks off when KD is called into a bar where a gruesome murder has happened. A beheaded woman with bite marks on her neck, identified as Sanjana, has a torso, hands without fingers, and legs discovered, but the worst thing is revealed by the forensics department: only the head belongs to Sanjana, while the rest of the body parts are those of three different women. Additionally, the bite mark on Sanjana’s neck reveals that whoever left the mark had hyperdontia, or an extra incisor. Upon questioning Sanjana’s roommate, Rajitha, KD visits the victim’s village. There, he finds that a man named Raghavudu, who had grown up with Sanjana, matches the profile of the pursued criminal because he, too, has hyperdontia. KD arrests and brings in Raghavudu, but he says that he wasn’t in the city on the night Sanjana was murdered. Raghavudu refuses to reveal where he was and keeps citing that it’s too personal to divulge. However, forensics detects traces of blood in his shoes, and that’s enough proof to bring him in. Although the killer has been apprehended, KD wants to find out who the other victims are, but DGP Nageswara Rao keeps pressuring him into closing the case. Suddenly, KD receives an anonymous email that has an attached YouTube link to a video where Raghavudu can be seen in Kakinada. Shocked that an innocent man has been arrested, he calls the police station, only to find out that he has been taken away to be ‘encountered’ or set up to be executed by cops in a staged escape scene. After failing to sway Rao from calling off the encounter, KD leaks the information that Raghavudu will be encountered to the media personnel he used to be at odds with. The corrupt cops scamper to call off the encounter and bring the convict back, but unable to digest the humiliation, Raghavudu hangs himself inside the prison. An innocent man dies because the law fails to catch the real culprits.
However, the citizens are rejoicing at the death of Raghavudu and consider his suicide to be a case of an encounter by the Andhra Pradesh police. Effigies are burned, and wild celebrations follow because ordinary people feel that justice has been served. This is a commentary on the way encounters are used as weapons to appease the masses in the country. Already bearing the guilt of the death of an innocent, KD receives another shock when anonymous threats target Rajitha, and even KD’s pregnant girlfriend, Aryaa. As Rajitha’s boyfriend, Kumar, moves in with her to ensure her safety, KD finds some bizarre drawings inside his home that harken back to his comment about dim-witted criminals. Panicked about Aryaa’s safety, he assigns two constables to ensure her safety. By making use of the tags that the pubs stamp on the customers’ arms, he’s able to identify one of the victims as Tanya. Tanya, an active member of a welfare organization for women, went missing days before her wedding. Another victim of the gruesome murder was Pooja, the previous president of the welfare organization before she moved to Hyderabad and was murdered soon after.
Lastly, an elderly woman informs KD that fifteen years ago, Jhansi, another president of the association, had been murdered. Joining the dots that the killer is targeting members of women’s welfare organizations, KD asks the women to stay alert and sends an additional force to protect Aryaa. KD and Varsha head over to Jhansi’s house to find it abandoned and spot clues that hint at the presence of a child. In the backyard, they spot the same tree house that Ram Prasad had built in the beginning. Inside, KD finds some rather macabre drawings and obituaries dedicated to Ram Prasad and his photograph. The drawings are all made in a particular style and paint the mother as the monster and show the father as the victim of a horrible life, which ultimately leads the father to hang himself. Suddenly, Max, KD’s loyal pal’s frantic barks reveal that the treehouse is on fire. Rao calls KD to inform him that the police department knows that it was he who leaked news about Raghavudu’s encounter to the media and that he has been fired. Moreover, the security at his place has also been removed. KD rushes over to his home to find Aryaa missing and a note left by the killer. Abandoned by the cops and terrified about his fiancé and his unborn child’s fate, KD breaks down.
‘HIT: The Second Case’ Ending Explained: Who Was The Killer? Will There Be A Third Film?
Thankfully, KD isn’t all alone after all because Varsha arrives, and together they deduce that the killer is a dentist who lives in the same city. Through Aryaa’s planner, KD realizes that she, along with all the other victims, used to visit Dr. Rajeev Kumar Koduri, who was the son of Ram Prasad. It’s easy to deduce that the pain of watching his father die deranged the young Rajeev, who made it his mission to terminate women who were associated with the women’s welfare organization. Varsha rushes over to Rajitha’s place while KD reaches the clinic. Inside, KD makes the shocking discovery that each painting hung on the wall features a souvenir of sorts from each of the victims. Upon smashing the wall, KD finds the body parts of a murdered woman. He also comes upon a photograph that reveals Rajeev Kumar Koduri to be none other than Rajitha’s boyfriend, Kumar! Immediately, KD is attacked by the said psychopath, who stabs him in the gut with a scalpel. A fight ensues, but due to exhaustion and blood loss, KD passes out, only to wake up strapped to the patient’s chair. Kumar brings in the handcuffed Aryaa in a wheelchair and proceeds to slit her wrists in front of him. He brings in a chainsaw and divulges his plan to kill both KD and his pregnant fiancée. He also reveals how the sexually promiscuous nature of his mother destroyed his beloved father’s life and how the women of the welfare organization cheered Jhansi on as Ram Prasad hanged himself. Swearing vengeance, Kumar stabbed his mother to death and has been targeting members of the organization since then. He also reveals that it was Kumar himself who sent KD the link that proved Raghavudu wasn’t the killer. The quick-witted KD takes advantage of the twisted brain of Kumar and tricks him into opening the door. Max rushes in and starts freeing KD, while Varsha arrives and attacks Kumar. However, the psycho shoots Max and overpowers Varsha, and he’s kicking her mercilessly when KD frees himself. The once-laidback cop turns the chainsaw on Kumar, unleashes a barrage of punches on him, and passes out near Aryaa. Kumar lies on the floor with half of his face caved in.
Later, at the hospital, KD is woken up by Aryaa, who reveals that both she and their unborn daughter are safe, and Max hobbles his way to greet his friend. Rao apologizes to KD and offers him his job back, but the disgruntled protagonist leaves after a disdainful look at the corrupt DGP. During the wedding of Aryaa and KD, we learn that he’ll be shifting to Telangana and that his boss will be Arjun Sarkaar. An exposition establishes him as a ruthless anti-hero who brutalizes the guilty in creative ways. As Sarkaar leaves after congratulating the couple, the title of the third installment establishes him as the protagonist of the upcoming movie.
‘HIT 2’ – A Hit Or A Miss?
“HIT: The Second Case” explores how childhood trauma can completely alter the personality of an adolescent child and why it is the responsibility of the parents to ensure that children aren’t exposed to unkind things in the world while their minds are still developing. The actions of Jhansi destroy the entire Koduri family but in no way does that excuse the monstrosity that Kumar unleashes, that too on women who have no relation whatsoever with his father’s suicide. As a standalone movie, “HIT: The Second Case” presents the struggles of a man stripped of his powers as a cop and the need to protect his loved ones from a deranged psychopath. While Kolanu’s story maintains a taut and linear pacing, the presence of Aryaa can be brought into question. Of course, to boost the stakes manifolds and bring in a personal connection, Aryaa and her unborn child form a major part of the climax, but the same could be achieved with any other character who held some sort of significance to the events of the story.
Moreover, Aryaa’s inability to follow instructions is another area that has to be highlighted. After being told not to keep her phone silent by a frantic KD when he finds her, she still hasn’t changed the phone’s settings the next time she might be in mortal danger. Although this can be chalked up to helping the story’s progression, it might also be argued that KD was never honest with her regarding his worries. Although the way the police officers join the string of clues to reach the killer has been presented in an intelligent manner, eagle-eyed viewers can deduce, within the first hour, who the culprit might be. “HIT: The Second Case” needed to drop less obvious clues about the murderer’s identity to keep the audience guessing, which could have made the final reveal a lot more satisfying. The background score and the music help express the tension that suffocates the air towards the end and is a necessary addition. Overall, this thriller will make for an interesting watch with some rather gory scenes and a few thrilling moments that keep you on the edge of your seat, and the nearly two-hour-long screen time will feel worth it for the scene when KD exacts vengeance on the psychopath.
