Adivi Sesh: Hit 2 was the most comfortable experience I’ve had as an actor, I was at ease

Adivi Sesh, who delivered a commercial success and impressed critics with his previous release Major, will now don the avatar of a cop for Hit 2, the second instalment of the action thriller franchise, written and directed by Sailesh Kolanu. The genre is something that Sesh is synonymous with - thrillers - and for a change, he hasn’t written the story. Ahead of Hit 2’s release tomorrow, he tells us what should a viewer expect from the film.

Saying yes to Hit 2

When they approached me for Hit 2, I wasn’t keen on snatching a franchise away from Vishwak Sen. While they wanted to make the sequel with Vishwak initially, they thought of coming up with separate stories on officers from different locations and bring them together for a finale, like Avengers, where they work on a huge national mission. That’s when I came on board. Both Vishwak and I have worked hard to be here and I wanted to be careful with my choice.

With my previous four films, I was involved with script writing in various capacities and gave my input to the directors. However, here I just wanted to be an actor, sit in the caravan and come out when the shot was ready. It was a new experience. I liked the story because of the ‘whydunnit’ aspect - the reason for which the psychopath commits these crimes was unique. It’s a reason that’ll pique the curiosity of the viewer.

Hit 2 - the trajectory of the story

The reason I’ve come far is that I think like the average viewer. I don’t like the long-drawn intro shots or the larger-than-life aura and want a film to jump into the story straight away. I always listen to the script like an audience. That’s why I pose a lot of questions to my directors and I am never convinced easily. The story of Hit 2 progresses exactly in the same sequence as we launched the teaser, song and trailer.

While the teaser starts with the case, the song dives into the cop’s life and the trailer was about the mess he would be getting into. Meenakshi has an important role to play, she is central to the plot and is not restricted to the song. As a bonus, you’ll also get to see the protagonist of Hit 3 in the climax too. I can also say that I’ll have a role to play in Hit 3 as well.

On associating with Nani, the producer and taking this up after Major

By far, Nani ensured that I had the easiest experience as an actor for Hit 2. He understands what all an actor goes through during a shoot. Even before I would complete a sentence, he knew what I was talking about and make sure my requirement was met. There was no hesitation to ask anything and he made me feel very comfortable; that comes from his experience too. Major was equally good but they had a corporate approach to film production. Say if I told them that I would want a cup of tea, they would ask me to come on a Zoom call to discuss the tea bag. Hit 2 was a welcome change.

As an actor, I was very much at ease with this because all I had to do was a good film. With Major, the effort wasn’t only to do a good film but to get audiences to theatres, and earn the approval of the army, and the parents of Sandeep Unnikrishnan. With Hit 2, the only effort is to make a good film and take it to audiences. The stress had decreased. Hit 2 felt like a vacation, especially since it took off during the last schedule of Major. Though Hit 2 may look like a dark film, it’s a film about hope and a story of good winning over evil. The film’s climax has a very important argument about KD and the villain’s contrasting views on treating women in our society.

Taking Hit 2 to Hindi and Kannada audiences

The success of Major has certainly come in handy for Hit 2. With the blessings of SS Rajamouli, we announced the Hindi version of Hit 2 and we want to release it at an appropriate date when it doesn’t clash with other major Hindi films. We don’t want to do it like a formality because the recognition in Hindi has come after immense hard work and I respect the audiences there too. As of now, we’re looking to release the film on December 30. Even a Kannada version is on the cards.

Deviating from thriller mode

In one of my upcoming films, I am starring in a remake of an Oscar-winning Hollywood film produced by an international studio and directed by a friend. This is a completely rough character. I also want to do a comedy. I am always obsessed with the script while comedy is all about timing - it either works on the set or it doesn’t. After Hit 2 though, my primary focus will be to complete the script of Goodachari 2.

On the eve of Hit 2’s release

There’s nervousness as usual. I always wonder if we’ve done enough to please audiences. Given a chance, I’ll go for at least 100 takes for a shot. At the same time, there’s an element of confidence too because all of those who’ve watched it till now have had great things to say about it.