The Third Case

''HIT: The Third Case'' (or simply ''HIT 3'') is a 2025 Indian Telugu-language neo-noir action thriller film written and directed by Sailesh Kolanu. Produced by Wall Poster Cinema and Unanimous Productions, it is the third installment in the HIT film series following ''HIT: The Second Case'' (2022). The film stars Nani and Srinidhi Shetty. In the film, a ruthless police officer is sent by the Homicide Intervention Team (HIT) to find a group of killers and put and end to their grisly murder spree.

''The Third Case'' was first teased in the credits of its predecessor, with Nani leading the cast. In February 2024, Nani's commitments went to ''Nani 32'', directed by Sujeeth and produced by DVV Entertainment. However, due to delays with the director's ''OG'' (2025) led to postponement with the start of its production. By September, Nani began prioritising ''The Third Case''. Principal photography took place from September 2024 to March 2025 in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Jammu and Kashmir. The film has music composed by Mickey J. Meyer, cinematography handled by Sanu Varghese and editing by Karthika Srinivas.

''HIT: The Third Case'' was released worldwide on 1 May 2025 in theatres. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Nani's performance but criticized the story. It emerged as the third highest-grossing Telugu film of the year. A sequel, ''HIT: The Fourth Case'', is announced.

Plot

SP Arjun Sarkaar, a ruthless cop who commits a heinous murder, is imprisoned for an unspecified crime. In jail, he is saved by a fellow prisoner named Samuel Joseph from being harmed by inmates he had previously arrested. Later, Arjun narrates his story to Joseph through a series of flashbacks.

Following the events of ''HIT: The Second Case'', Arjun is posted to HIT Visakhapatnam in place of Krishnadev "KD". He murders a civilian by hanging him upside down in a forest and slitting his jugular vein. He further records the act. Afterwards, he is assigned to investigate his own crime, further revealing that organs were removed from the corpse after the murder. Meanwhile, he begins a romantic relationship with Mrudula, a woman he met through a matrimonial site set up by his father. His colleague, ASP Varsha IPS, grows suspicious of him and starts tracking him, witnessing Arjun commit another murder in the same manner. Confronted by her, Arjun justifies his actions, revealing that the two civilians killed by him were pedophiles.

A flashback reveals that when Arjun was posted to HIT Jammu and Kashmir, he investigated a similar murder and apprehended the killer after a fierce fight with his accomplices, only to discover later that a similar murder was committed in Bihar, where the culprit was apprehended. On inquiring about him, Arjun found that both killers were members of a dark web cult organisation called CTK (Capture, Torture, Kill), which required members to record two such murders to join. Following the suicide of the first killer in custody and the death of two of his accomplices who were Kashmir activists, Arjun was transferred to HIT Visakhapatnam. Having decided to infiltrate CTK, he committed the murders, uploaded the videos, and gained membership. Tracking a CTK killer to Jaipur, Arjun prevents another murder and apprehends the killer but is stabbed. As he recovers, CTK’s leader, Alpha, welcomes him into the organisation.

Now a member of CTK, Arjun learns that the group meets annually and the next meeting set to take place in Naharlagun, Arunachal Pradesh. With the approval of his superior, ADGP Nageswara Rao IPS, he leads a team, including Varsha, to dismantle CTK. Further, Mrudula is revealed to be an undercover police officer reporting to Nageswara Rao and joins the team. With Arjun initially hurt by the revelation, Mrudula admits that she kept it a secret from him due to his policy against dating colleagues. With Mrudula revealing that Arjun was the reason why she became a police officer due to punishing eve teasers who harassed her sister many years ago, Arjun reconciles with her. On reaching Naharlagun, Arjun splits off from his team, giving them orders to track him to CTK's secret hideout. However, Alpha’s decoy misled Arjun's team and the local police to three different places. SI Diwakar, one of the team members, is captured by Alpha's men. Meanwhile, at the CTK hideout, it is revealed to be an old Burmese Palace, where Arjun witnesses brutal killings of the hostages, including that of a young lady and is forced to participate in a deadly fight among 4 other new recruits to prove his loyalty. He survives and secretly sends radio signals to his team by tagging his pet vulture with a transmitter.

As Alpha grows suspicious of a traitor, Arjun manipulates the situation to protect his cover. During an attempted killing, Arjun intervenes to save a nine-month-old child and attempts to free the surviving hostages, sparking a violent confrontation with CTK members. Meanwhile, Arjun's team arrive at the CTK hideout by tracking his vulture. With assistance from his team members and backup from the Hyderabad HIT team, Arjun defeats and eliminates Alpha and all the CTK members in a climactic battle. He reveals that Alpha’s brother was the killer he apprehended in Jaipur. The operation uncovers CTK’s true purpose: harvesting hormonal glands from victims in a state of fear for organ trafficking. Using the hormonal glands, they were sent to a Swedish pharmaceutical company for synthesising a highly potent drug that the rich and powerful use as Viagra.

With knowledge that the whole conspiracy is orchestrated by Samuel Joseph, the prisoner Arjun confided in, in the form of an NGO named Keen to Care (KTC). Arjun reveals he entered jail deliberately to kill Joseph, which he does. The film concludes with the revelation that the young lady who was killed in the CTK hideout was ACP Dhanya Mohan IPS, who infiltrated the group by allowing herself to be captured by them. However, she sacrificed herself to save the child, earning Arjun’s respect. He names her as the investigating officer of the case, as a mark of respect.

The mid-credits scene introduces a new police officer in Tamil Nadu, ACP Veerappan IPS, discovering a body hidden in a truck at a checkpoint, hinting at ''HIT: The Fourth Case''.

Cast

Production

Development

In December 2022, ''HIT: The Third Case'' was announced during the credits of '' HIT: The Second Case'' with Nani in the lead role. In February 2024, it was announced that ''#Nani32'' was going to be directed by Sujeeth and produced by D. V. V. Danayya under DVV Entertainment. However due to production delays for '' OG,'' the film was postponed and in September 2024, it was announced that ''#Nani32'' was going to be ''HIT: The Third Case'' directed by Sailesh Kolanu with Prashanti Tipirneni and Nani returning to produce the film under Wall Poster Cinema and Nani's newly announced production house, Unanimous Productions.

Filming

Principal photography commenced for the film in September 2024 in Hyderabad. The second schedule commenced in October 2024, in Visakhapatnam. Filming resumed in December 2024 in Jammu and Kashmir. In February 2025, it was reported that filming was scheduled to be finished by March 2025.

Music

The music was composed by Mickey J. Meyer, in his second collaboration with Nani after ''Shyam Singha Roy'' (2021) and first collaboration with Sailesh Kolanu. The audio rights of the film were acquired by Saregama.

The first single, "Prema Velluva", was released on 24 March 2025. The second single, "Abki Baar Arjun Sarkaar", was released on 9 April 2025. The third single, "Thanu" was released on 25 April 2025. The fourth single, "Poratame 3.0", was released on 6 May 2025.

Release

Theatrical

''HIT: The Third Case'' was released on 1 May 2025. It received an " A" (adults only) certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification due to its bloody violence. However, some cuts were made and some scenes were blurred to tone down the excessive gore. It was also the second film in the franchise to receive this certificate.

Home media

The post-theatrical streaming rights of the film were acquired by Netflix for 54 crore. The film began streaming on the platform from 29 May 2025 in Telugu and dubbed versions of Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam languages.

Reception

Critical response

''HIT: The Third Case'' received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for Nani's performance and the film's visuals and action sequences, but criticism for its weak narrative and story, while the excessive violence received polarized response.

Avad Mohammed of ''OTTPlay'' gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Nani's boldest avatar is the selling point of the action drama. Coupled with some exciting cameos, the latest addition to the HIT franchise lives up to all the hype created." Sanjay Ponnappa of ''India Today'' gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "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!" BVS Prakash of ''Deccan Chronicle'' gave 2/5 stars and wrote " €¦instead of an engaging narrative, we get a stretched-out cop saga that abandons logic and emotional depth for blood, gore, and brute force."

Paul Nicodemus of ''The Times of India'' gave 3 out of 5 stars, commending Nani’s intensity and the film’s visuals but noting a lack of narrative coherence. Raisa Nasreen of ''Times Now'' rated it 3 out of 5, calling it a "gritty thriller" anchored by Nani but with a predictable plot. Asmita Pant of ''CNBCTV18'' lauded Nani’s performance but founded the emotional beats lacking. Amit Bhatia of ''ABP Live'' rated it 2.5 out of 5, describing it as a "blood-soaked thriller" but criticizing its weak storyline.

Neeshita Nyayapati of ''Hindustan Times'' gave 2.5 out of 5 stars, stating that Nani "steals the show" in a gory film that needed better execution. Swaroop Kodur of ''The Hollywood Reporter India'' praised Nani’s intensity but criticized the lack of nuance. Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of ''The Hindu'' stated that Nani lifts a "visually slick but uneven thriller."

Box office

In India, ''HIT: The Third Case'' was released alongside ''Retro'', ''Tourist Family'' and ''Raid 2'' collected worldwide on its opening day. In six days, it has collected a worldwide gross of , including domestically.

Notes

References

External Links

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{{Sailesh Kolanu, state=collapsed
2025 films
2025 action thriller films
2025 crime action films
2025 crime thriller films
Indian action thriller films
Indian crime action films
Indian crime thriller films
Indian sequel films
Indian serial killer films
Indian detective films
Indian police films
Films directed by Sailesh Kolanu
Films set in Hyderabad, India
Films shot in Hyderabad, India
Films set in Visakhapatnam
Films shot in Visakhapatnam
Films set in Jammu and Kashmir
Films shot in Jammu and Kashmir
Films set in Bihar
Films set in Arunachal Pradesh
Films shot in Arunachal Pradesh
Films set in Jaipur
Films about cults
Films set in 2019
Films set in 2023
Fictional portrayals of the Andhra Pradesh Police
Fictional portrayals of the Jammu Kashmir Police
Fictional portrayals of the Telangana Police
Films scored by Mickey J Meyer
Kashmir conflict in films
Police procedural films