Watch | Director Sailesh Kolanu: We are all following the path Marvel has created

Director Sailesh Kolanu, now working on Venkatesh-starrer ‘Saindhav’ discusses his approach to cinema and how he hopes to have his signature as the ‘HIT’ universe grows bigger

When optometrist-turned-director Sailesh Kolanu debuted with the Telugu crime thriller HIT (Homicide Intervention Team) in which the protagonist worked with a Sherlock Holmes-like ability to try and solve crime while battling post-traumatic disorder, he made the audience curious. Sailesh followed it up with HIT 2, only to reveal that these films will be part of a ‘HIT universe’, each aiming to leave a bigger footprint. An ardent Kamal Haasan fan and an avid reader, the writer-director hopes to have his signature even as he moves on to direct bigger stars in his forthcoming films. Before HIT 3 starring Nani gets rolling, he is now at work for the Venkatesh-starrer Saindhav, set in a fictional city.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

It’s been a few months since the release of HIT 2. Have you revisited and analysed the film? 

Yes, I watched a few segments after its OTT release (on Amazon Prime Video). It is an exercise many directors do, stepping back and taking a bird’s eye view of a film. I am proud of my film but I felt I could have done better in some portions; for example the opening 20 minutes. It looked breezy while watching in theatres, but I think there was scope for improvement. 

Among the audience, a few have expressed that they preferred HITto HIT 2. What is the feedback you have received?

I think the majority has enjoyed HIT 2, which is what I think too. As a filmmaker, I was able to articulate my thoughts and translated the emotions better in my second film. I think it is unfair to compare the two films. The grammar of the two films is different. HIT was a slow-burn crime drama with suspect play, while the second one was fast-paced and more about peeling back the layers of a crime. 

When you conceptualised the HIT franchise, it would have been a relatively new idea in Indian cinema. But now with Lokesh Kanagaraj, Prasanth Varma, Yash Raj FIlms and Rohit Shetty working on ‘universe’ films, how do you plan to make your series stand out?