Film: Double iSmart
Evaluation: 2.5/5
Banner: Puri connects
Pour: Ram Pothineni, Sanjay Dutt, Kavya Thapar, Bani J, Ali, Getup Sreenu, Sayaji Shinde, Makrand Deshpande, Pragati, Jhansi, Temper Vamsi and others
Music: Manfred Scharf
Camera: 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
Screenplay and direction: Puri Jagannath
Release date: 15 August 2024

iSmart Shankar was a hugely successful film that brought Puri Jagannadh back to the winning track. To regain momentum after the failure of Liger, Puri Jagannadh decided to make a sequel to iSmart Shankar and successfully persuaded Ram Pothineni to work with him.

Let’s see if this sequel lives up to the original.

Story:
Jannath, a girl who has moved to Hyderabad from Delhi, captivates iSmart Shankar (Ram). He not only flirts with her but also aims to extradite mafia boss Big Bull (Sanjay Dutt) to India to avenge the murder of his mother Pochamma (Jhansi).

Bigg Bull is diagnosed with a brain tumor. He instructs his associates to find the brain of a recipient into which he can transfer his memories. Bigg Bull’s concept revolves around achieving immortality and achieving his ambitious goal by using another person’s brain.

His team is convinced that iSmart Shankar is the best candidate for this memory transfer. Both Bigg Bull and iSmart Shankar are on the hunt for each other.

What are the consequences of completing this memory transfer process? Will Shankar be able to take revenge or not?

Artist appearances:
Ram reprises his role as Shankar with just as much aplomb. As an actor, Ram does his part and tries to inject energy into even the duller moments. However, since his characterization is a repeat of the first part, there is no tension and it feels like watching iSmart Shankar for a second time.

Kavya Thapar plays a typical Puri Jagannadh heroine and serves primarily as a glamour show.

Sanjay Dutt is perfect for the role of the big bull, his imposing physique underlines the character. Jhansi and Pragati, who both play mothers, deliver commendable performances.

Get Up Srinu merely acts as the hero’s sidekick, while Ali’s comedy is cheap and tasteless.

Technical excellence:
Mani Sharma’s music is good. Two of the songs are catchy but don’t have the same thrilling appeal as those in the first part.

The cinematography and production design are solid for an action film, but the script lacks precision.

Highlights:
Ram’s efforts
Two songs

Disadvantage:
Routine narrative
No highlights
Cheap comedy track with Ali

analysis
The basic concept of Double iSmart seems compelling in verbal form. The central idea revolves around the hero’s quest for revenge against the villain, who wants to transfer his own memories into the hero’s mind. Eventually, the villain achieves this goal, causing the hero to gradually forget his original quest for revenge. A more sophisticated narrator could have turned this into a gripping action thriller.

However, Puri Jagannadh’s execution raises doubts about whether the film has a coherent story. He relies on dated scenes to keep the action going, resulting in a plot that feels like a mix of his previous films like ‘Paisa Vasool’, ‘Liger’ and ‘iSmart Shankar’.

The hero’s vulgar and flirtatious behavior towards his heroine, coupled with his routine of singing, dancing and fighting, makes the film look more like a typical mass film from a bygone era than a contemporary one. While the songs and Ram’s energy manage to keep the viewers hooked, the entire first half tests our patience.

Moreover, a parallel comedy track featuring Ali raises questions about Puri Jagannadh’s intentions. The track, which was supposed to be humorous, fails to elicit laughs and seems detached from the story. Ali plays an Amazonian tribesman who is brought to India for an experiment, using gestures that come across as obscene and cheap.

This title makes it clear that Puri Jagannadh may no longer have fresh ideas for comedy and is instead resorting to recycled storytelling methods.

The film did not take any interesting turns in the second half and towards the climax. The atmosphere of Lord Shiva and the final part are forced, without an organic flow of events.

Overall, Double iSmart lacks freshness. While some “mass” moments are acceptable, excessive “mental mass” moments do not resonate with the general audience. Despite Ram’s energetic performance, the film falls short of the original iSmart Shankar and suffers from outdated notions of “mass moments”.

Conclusion: SIM not activated