Movie: Double iSmart
Rating: 2.5/5
Banner: Puri Connects
Cast: Ram Pothineni, Sanjay Dutt, Kavya Thapar, Bani J, Ali, Getup Sreenu, Sayaji Shinde, Makrand Deshpande, Pragati, Jhansi, Temper Vamsi and others
Music: Mani Sharma
DOP: Sam K Naidu, Gianni Giannelli
Editor: Karthika Sreenivas R
Production Designer: Jonny Shaik
Action stunts: Kecha Khamphakdee and Real Sathish
Producers: Puri Jagannadh, Charmme Kaur
Written and Direction: Puri Jagannadh
Release Date: Aug 15, 2024
"iSmart Shankar" was a highly successful film that put Puri Jagannadh back on the path to success. In an effort to regain his momentum after the failure of Liger, Puri Jagannadh decided to create a sequel to iSmart Shankar and successfully persuaded Ram Pothineni to collaborate with him.
Let's see if this sequel lives up to the original.
Story:
Jannath, a girl who has relocated to Hyderabad from Delhi, captivates iSmart Shankar (Ram). In addition to flirting with her, he also has the objective of extraditing mafia don Big Bull (Sanjay Dutt) to India in order to seek vengeance for the murder of his mother, Pochamma (Jhansi).
Diagnosed with a brain tumor, Bigg Bull instructs his staff to find a recipient's brain to transfer his memories to. Bigg Bull's concept revolves around achieving immortality and accomplishing his ambitious objective by utilizing someone else's brain.
His team is convinced that iSmart Shankar is the most suitable candidate for this memory transfer. Both Bigg Bull and iSmart Shankar are in pursuit of one another.
What are the consequences of completing this memory transfer process? Will Shankar be able to seek vengeance or not?
Artistes’ Performances:
Ram reprises his role as Shankar with equal aplomb. As an actor, Ram fulfills his role and tries to infuse energy into even the duller moments. However, since his characterization is a repetition of the first part, there is no thrill, making it feel like watching iSmart Shankar a second time.
Kavya Thapar plays a typical Puri Jagannadh heroine role, primarily serving as a glam show.
Sanjay Dutt is well-suited for the role of the Big Bull, with his imposing physique adding to the character. Jhansi and Pragati, both playing mothers, deliver commendable performances.
Get Up Srinu functions merely as a sidekick to the hero, while Ali’s comedy is cheap and in poor taste.
Technical Excellence:
Mani Sharma's music is good. While two of the songs are catchy, they don't have the same foot-tapping appeal as those in the first part.
The cinematography and production design are solid for an action movie, but writing lack precision.
Highlights:
Ram’s efforts
Two songs
Drawback:
Routine narration
No peak moments
Cheap comedy track involving Ali
Analysis
When described verbally, the basic concept of "Double iSmart" may seem captivating. The central idea revolves around the hero’s quest for revenge against the villain, who desires to transfer his own memories into the hero's mind. Eventually, the villain achieves this goal, causing the hero to gradually forget his initial quest for vengeance. A more sophisticated narrator could have turned this into a compelling action thriller.
However, Puri Jagannadh’s execution raises doubts about the presence of a coherent story in the film. He relies on outdated scenes to sustain the plot, resulting in a storyline that feels like a blend of his previous films such as "Paisa Vasool," "Liger," and "iSmart Shankar."
The hero’s vulgar and flirtatious behavior towards the heroine, coupled with his routine of singing, dancing, and fighting, makes the film resemble a typical mass movie from a bygone era rather than a contemporary one. While the songs and Ram's energy manage to keep viewers engaged, the entire first half tests our patience.
Additionally, a parallel comedy track featuring Ali raises questions about Puri Jagannadh's intentions. The track, intended to be humorous, fails to evoke laughter and seems disconnected from the story. Ali plays a tribal person from the Amazon who is brought to India for an experiment, using gestures that come off as obscene and cheap.
This track highlights that Puri Jagannadh may have run out of fresh ideas for comedy, resorting instead to recycled methods of narration.
The film didn't take any interesting turns in second half and towards the climax part. The Lord Shiva ambience and the final portion are forced with no organic flow of events.
Overall, "Double iSmart" lacks freshness. While some “mass” moments are acceptable, excessive “mental mass” moments fail to resonate with regular audiences. Despite Ram's energetic performance, the film falls short of the original "iSmart Shankar" and suffers from outdated notions of "mass moments."
Bottom line: Sim Not Activated
