‘Second Case Of Seetharam’ Movie Review: A Procedural That Runs Low on Fuel

Serial killers don’t have the same effect as they once did in films. The novelty of the concept may have worn off, and it might not make us sit right up and notice the second one is mentioned on screen anymore. But a well-made serial killer film is still a thing of joy. The latest Kannada thriller, Second Case of Seetharam, is a film that gives this common but intricate breed a shot. 

The film, a sequel to Seetharam Benoy Case No. 18 (2021), once again returns to show us a murder through the eyes of Inspector Seetharam (Vijay Raghavendra). But this time, his reputation is at stake. As middle-aged men with no real pattern begin to drop dead in his town, Seetharam needs to rally the Anegedde police station to bring these men to justice. Even before a body is cold, another contends for his attention, and this keeps going on until he’s told by the mortician that this could be the work of a serial killer.

Second Case of Seetharam very immediately throws its protagonist into a labyrinthine murder maze. Each murder brings him close to a suspect, who in turn connects him to their past — most of which affects his own personal life. The film, for instance, begins with his own past, a severed relationship with an elder sister he was once fond of. Another sibling relationship nudges us to remember Seetharam’s battered childhood.

A film of this genre often delves into the idea of perpetrator trauma, briefly taking us through the emotional ramifications of grief, longing and misunderstood love. The Kannada thriller doesn’t have the emotional depth or the richness in writing to make the world sticky. While the dots are connected quite efficiently, the relevance doesn’t register, and the discomfort comes from the gore on screen, not really the staging or writing of a scene. 

Vijay Raghavendra plays Seetharam sincerely, laying out the frustrations and the debilitation that often come with the job. But the film doesn’t give his story the space to breathe, despite revolving around him. The cop is blindsided on every move, but catches up quite quickly, and sometimes quite conveniently in the second act, prompting us to question and dissect more than a few loopholes. Composer Navaneeth Sham shines in places of crescendo, lending edge to the scenes, even when the writing doesn't. Hemanth Acharya’s camera does a lot of the heavy lifting to make the tension palpable. 

This isn’t an airtight thriller, and neither is it a rich study of complex interpersonal feelings that often lead to butchery. But the film does have an interesting message to say about the circular and self-sabotaging nature of revenge.