Hit – The First Case Review {3.0/5} & Review Rating
Hit – The First Case is the story of a cop with a troubled past. Inspector Vikram (Rajkummar Rao) is based in Jaipur and is a part of a special squad called HIT (Homicide Investigation Team) of the police force. He is married to Neha (Sanya Malhotra), who works in the Forensic Department. Vikram suffers from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) after a loved one was set on fire in front of his eyes and he could do nothing about it.
A psychiatrist, Dr Ritika (Noyrika Bhatheja), advises him to quit his job as it’s adding to his stress. Even Neha feels the same. Vikram, however, fears that if he resigns from his job, his stress would increase as the work is keeping him away from the pain. He fights with Neha and goes on a three-month-long leave in the hills. Neha calls him several times but he doesn’t pick up. Two months later, he learns that Neha has disappeared. Vikram returns immediately and he tells his senior, Ajit Singh Shekhawat (Dalip Tahil), that he should be assigned the case. However, Vikram’s rival Akshay (Jatin Goswami) is given the charge. Vikram is good friends with Srikant Saxena (Sanjay Narvekar), Neha’s boss. Through Srikant, he gets the details of all the cases that Neha was working on. He learns that one of the cases she was working on involved the disappearance of a teenage girl, Preeti Mathur (Rose Khan). Neha, in fact, had got a breakthrough, but before she could reveal it to anyone, she went missing. Vikram becomes in charge of the case of the disappearance of Preeti as he strongly believes that whoever is behind this crime has also abducted Neha. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Dr. Sailesh Kolanu’s story is promising and has all the ingredients of a whodunnit. Dr Sailesh Kolanu’s screenplay is engaging for most parts, especially the investigation sequences. The writer amps up the plot by revealing several characters that have questionable intentions. Hence, viewers are constantly guessing who could be the culprit. Girish Kohli’s dialogues are well-worded.
Dr. Sailesh Kolanu’s direction is decent. He keeps the viewers gripped by the proceedings. The manner in which Preeti goes missing and how Vikram zeroes in on the suspects make for a great watch. The intermission point is quite arresting and so are the scenes thereafter, when Vikram solves the mystery of the mysterious note. Moreover, there are a few chase sequences that are very well executed by the director.
HIT – The First Case (Trailer) – Rajkummar Rao, Sanya Malhotra
On the flipside, the suspense is unpredictable but not entirely convincing. The motive of the killer and also other aspects, which are unveiled to the audiences, could seem silly. Surely something better could have happened here at the script level. A few sequences are hurried, like Vikram shifting to the hills or the woman giving the clue about the Ambassador. It also makes the narrative inconsistent as the rest of the film has a fine pace. Lastly, several questions remain unanswered and the makers promise that they’ll be revealed in the sequel. This is how the original film, of the same name, also ended. Yet, viewers would surely wish that the makers would have given the answers or at least some hints to these questions.
Rajkummar Rao does a fine job. He surprisingly impresses in the action scenes. Sanya Malhotra looks wonderful and gives an able performance. Sadly, she has a limited screen time. Milind Gunaji (Inspector Ibrahim) and Jatin Goswami leave a mark in small roles. Dalip Tahil’s performance is alright. Shilpa Shukla (Sheela) does well, but her character’s motive is difficult to digest by the end of it. Akhil Iyer (Inspector Rohit) and Nuveksha (Sapna) have crucial parts and give good performances. Sanjay Narvekar is fair and it’s good to see him after ages. Rose Khan and Noyrika Bhatheja are decent. Hemraj Tiwari (Mohan; Preeti’s father) is a bit over the top in the police station scene. Otherwise, he’s fine and is well cast. Geeta Sodhi (Saraswati; orphanage owner), Raviraj (Fahaad, garage guy), Chinmaya Madan (Ajay; Preeti’s boyfriend) and Imran Syed (Bunty; drug dealer) give a fine performance.
While the overall music is poor, both ‘Tinka’ and ‘Kitni Haseen Hogi’ are watchable as they are well shot. John Stewart Eduris’s background score is appropriate.
S. Manikandan’s cinematography is breathtaking. The locales of Jaipur, Udaipur and Manali are beautifully captured. Mandar Nagaonkar’s production design is in sync with the film’s mood. Anisha Jain’s costumes are not too glamorous. Sunil Rodrigues’ action is realistic. Garry B H’s editing is too quick in some crucial scenes.
On the whole, Hit – The First Case is a decent watch thanks to Rajkummar Rao’s superlative performance, whodunnit element and a promising story. At the box office, it’ll need a positive word of mouth to pull audiences to cinemas.
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