Earlier this year, with 'Major', actor Adivi Sesh tasted box office success and won hearts for his realistic portrayal of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, the heroic martyr of the 26/11 Mumbai attack.
As the year comes to an end, the broody-eyed, sauve-looking actor is eagerly awaiting the theatrical release of his forthcoming movie 'Hit - The Second Case' - a spine-chilling thriller that will be released on December 2.
In a reverse deja vu of sorts, the movie is making news for some similarities it shares with the Shraddha Walkar murder case that surfaced recently. 'Hit 2' was in the making for almost a year now while the horrific crime in Delhi has come to light in November.
In 'HIT 2', Sesh essays a lazy, laidback cop on the trail of a criminal in the port city of Visakhapatnam.
"What is strange about 'Hit 2', however, is like the eternal question of which came first, the chicken or the egg? What happened here is, completely independent of the Delhi crime, we had come up with the story a year ago. And it has many of the same features. And even the name of a character is Shraddha in our film," Sesh told IANS.
The 'Hit Universe' created by director Dr. Sailesh Kolanu is the backdrop for a series of seven movies that explore the murky realms of humanity, expressed in the form of heinous crimes.
Each movie revolves around a crime story set in a particular city. The first movie in the series, 'Hit', was a small film that went on to become a cult hit. Sesh came on board for the second movie and is also on for the third movie when it is made.
So what was it about the movie that got him interested in the role?
"I consider myself emotional by nature and by that I mean that women and men are both equal," Sesh said. "As an audience it really shook me up when I heard about the crime that took place against the woman in the film. When I was hearing the story I forgot that I was being pitched as an actor. I just so wanted retribution against the perpetrator of these crimes. So for it to be a very hopeful movie meant a lot."
For Sesh, the movie brought along its fair share of tough moments. It wasn't the action sequences, however, that had him gasping, Sesh confessed.
"As a vegetarian, it was tough to shoot in a fishing harbor for nine days for an action scene. It was not just the smell but we were rolling in it. I'm quite proud of the action scene. Sunil Rodrigues has choreographed it."
Sesh disagreed with the criticism in some quarters that blame cinema for the growing crime rates. Cinema as an institution cannot be blamed for fanning crime, he emphasized.
"The most infamous killer, at least the one I have heard of, is Jack the Ripper from 1888," Sesh said as he signs off: "He terrorised all the women of England at that time. There was no movie in those days. So ultimately, I think, if someone wants to do evil, they'll get inspiration from anywhere. I think to blame cinema is a mistake."
