May 01, 2025 04:42 PM IST
HIT: The Fourth Case was announced at the end of Sailesh Kolanu’s HIT: The Third Case. This actor is set to take over from Nani.
*Spoilers ahead*
HIT: The Third Case, directed by Sailesh Kolanu and starring Nani, Srinidhi Shetty and Prateik Babbar, was released in theatres on May 1. The film is the third instalment in his HIT (Homicide Intervention Team) franchise and sees SP Arjun Sarkaar (Nani) solve a series of murders. The film ends by officially announcing HIT: The Fourth Case with a special cameo. Know all about the actor and character taking over the franchise. (Also Read: HIT The Third Case movie review: Blood-soaked Nani steals the show in this gory fest that could’ve been better)
HIT: The Fourth Case officially announced
After Arjun wraps up what he started in HIT 3 in a neat, if bloody, bow, Sailesh sets things up for HIT 4. Tamil actor Karthi is officially introduced as ACP Veerappan at the end of the film, making him the first non-Telugu actor to lead the franchise. But, in a meta scene, Veerappan assures everyone that he’s bilingual, just in case people thought he didn’t know Telugu. Unlike Arjun’s introduction at the end of HIT 2 as an unlikeable cop, Karthi’s Veerappan seems as jolly as they come. And at the end of HIT 3, it looks like he already has a murder mystery to solve in HIT 4.
Karthi’s previous tryst with playing a cop
HIT 4 will not be the first time Karthi plays a cop. He played the memorable DSP Rathnavel Pandian in Siruthai (2011), a remake of the Telugu film Vikramarkudu (2006). And then there was Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru (2017), in which he played DSP Theeran Thirumaran, a cop who performs the thankless job of hunting down killers. In Sardar (2022), he played Inspector Vijay Prakash, who is obsessed with rebuilding his tarnished image after his father, a former RAW agent, is branded a national traitor. He will reprise the role for Sardar 2, which he is shooting for now.
The HIT franchise
Sailesh’s HIT franchise began with HIT: The First Case (2020), which saw Vishwak Sen play Vikram Rudraraju, a cop suffering from PTSD due to past trauma. He followed that up with HIT: The Second Case (2022), headlined by Adivi Sesh’s Krishna Dev, aka KD, who catches a serial killer murdering girls. In the recently released HIT: The Third Case (2025), Nani plays Arjun Sarkaar, who goes undercover to solve a series of murders following the same modus operandi across the country. It remains to be seen when HIT: The Fourth Case will go on floors and release.
