Hunt Review

'Hunt' is the latest film to hit the screens. In this section, we are going to review the movie.

Story:

ACP Arjun (Sudheer Babu) is in a fix. He is a memory-loss investigator who has to find out who shot down his friend ACP Aryan (Bharath of 'Premisthe' fame) on the day the latter was being decorated with a medal. 

As part of the endeavour, Arjun forms a team (compromising cops played by Goparaju Ramana, Mounika Reddy and others). No matter how hard Arjun tries, he fails to crack the code. What is eluding him? Is it impossible to trace down Aryan's assassin?

Analysis: 

It is no more a secret that 'Hunt' is a remake of the 2013 Malayalam thriller 'Mumbai Police'. Since director Mahesh Surapaneni was already equipped with a script enriched by an explosive twist, he had it easy. Despite the edge, he fails to make the cut. 

Barring the action choreography (by Renaud Favero and Brian Wiziar of Hollywood), 'Hunt' doesn't raise the bar. Ghibran's BGM is not over-the-top and that's the only plus. For whatever reason, the score doesn't have an inviting ring. It recedes to the background way too much. Arul Vincent's cinematography is good. 

This thriller doesn't throw up misguiding elements and that's the only plus. The investigation procedure is not peppered with unnecessary ideas. Even the subplot involving a Jihadist Professor doesn't overstay its welcome. 

However, the film fails in multiple other ways. The interval bang is underwhelming. The scenes that follow make the viewer wonder if there is a way out. 

It has been almost a decade since the Malayalam original was made. Why couldn't 'Hunt' have been different? Why couldn't it have been an adaptation like 'The GodFather' was of 'Lucifer'? Where was the need to keep the friendship beats so underwhelming? The Telugu audience are not used to watching such subdued portrayals of friendship. Unlike Mollywood films, emotions in Telugu movies are not expected to be understated. 

Where could the film have been different? There was no need for the character played by Srikanth. As the hero's friend-cum-boss, he is hardly there to add any dramatic dimension. 'Premisthe' Bharath makes an effective comeback; he is here to stay. 

Now, coming to the twist. It was definitely bold on the part of the makers to transpose a Mollywood twist onto a Telugu movie. This is reminiscent of the conviction exhibited by the makers of the ZEE5 web series 'Gaalivaana', which too had quite a bold twist. The word 'bold' is usually used in all sorts of inappropriate contexts in Telugu pop culture. As such, it has lost its potency. In the case of 'Hunt', though, it can be used deservedly. 

However, 'Hunt' relies way too much on its twist. It forgets to build a compelling screenplay in the lead-up to the pre-climax phase. The actors mostly go through the motions. Barring Sudheer Babu and Bharath, there is no performance that you can write home about.

Verdict:

'Hunt' is a wasted opportunity. Its screenplay lacks interesting ideas and pace. The remake feels like it needs a remake to make us forget the remake.