HIT: The First Case

Sailesh Kolanu's 2022 Indian film is the Hindi remake of the Telugu film he made two years earlier. Vikram, a detective suffering panic attacks after a trauma, is investigating two disappearances when his own girlfriend vanishes and he falls inside the case. As a detective story it is cleanly built; the clue-work is fair and the solution rests on evidence. Rajkummar Rao's performance carries a breakdown without slipping into heroism. Its weakness is that the remake stays scene for scene close to the original without adding a reason for existing; for anyone who saw the Telugu film there is no surprise left. The atmosphere and use of colour are good. Who it's for: viewers who like Indian detective films and investigator-centred thrillers. Who it's not for: anyone who knows the original, or avoiding violent and detailed depictions of murder.