BOTTOM LINE
SIM Out of Service
RATING
2/5
CENSOR
A, 2h 42m
What Is the Film About?
Big Bull (Sanjay Dutt) is a powerful multi-millionaire businessman. He plans his life for a hundred years with all the luxuries in the world. Unfortunately, he is diagnosed with a brain tumour and can’t live more than a few months.
The doctor suggests Big Bull to undergo a brain transplant and inject his memories to another person. How did this process lead to Shankar? The movie’s core story is what happens when the Big Bull’s memories are transferred to him via a chip.
Performances
Usthad Ram takes us back to his ‘Energetic Star’ days as Shankar once again. It is a character he seems to love to the core playing and it shows on screen. He gives his heart and soul to it and we don’t find any fault with him at all. Whether one likes or dislikes the film, no one will find any issues with Ram’s performance.
Be it the dances or the dialogue delivery on the overall body language and action, Ram literally lives the character of Shankar- all over again. Ram slips into the part as if he has never left the sets from the first part itself. He is the primary reason one is hooked to the narrative for whatever duration it may be.
Kavya Thapar seen previously in Eagle and Ooru Peru Bhairavakona pairs up with Ram in Double Ismart Shankar. She appears to be on the heavier side a bit here, which makes her look a little imposing physically. The dubbing additionally adds to the issue. She plays a typical Puri Jagannadh heroine character. It is okay in that it is not too bad to outrightly reject nor good to shower praise.
Analysis
Double iSmart is a sequel to iSmart Shankar directed by Puri Jagannadh. The movie begins with a focus on the mother-son sentiment and quickly jumps into the core plot by introducing the Big Bull, Sanjay Dutt, and his brain issue. Although Big Bull’s introduction episode lacks the high and current standards, it quickly establishes how powerful he is.
Once the hyper-energetic Shankar is introduced, the rest of the first half mostly focuses on his love track with Jannat (Kavya Thapar). Some may find it overboard, while others might accept it due to Shankar’s character. However, what’s missing is Puri’s signature writing style. There is no freshness beyond being bold and loud.
Ali’s comedy track as Boka starts off well, but it is likely to get annoying for most viewers. It becomes too repetitive each time he appears.
The interval introduces the memory transfer into Shankar’s head, which raises expectations for the second half, though the first half is strictly passable as the main plot is yet to kick off.
The second half begins by revealing the mother sentiment and the reason for the revenge. By this point, the novel element in the story (the memory transfer) has already been established, so we expect some intriguing twists and turns. However, we are served with several sexual innuendos and prolonged scenes that serve no purpose other than to test the audience’s patience.
As if this weren’t enough, Puri brings in actress Pragathi to evoke sentiment, but it feels extremely forced and even silly at one point when she runs after a vehicle right before the climax action scene is set up.
The ending wraps up as expected, without any freshness or surprises, and by this time, the audience is likely to be tired and ready to exit.
Overall, Double iSmart relies heavily on Ram’s energy and suffers due to poor drama and weak writing. Puri fails to utilize the novel plot and delivers a lengthy, over-the-top, tiring experience.
Performances by Others Actors
Sanjay Dutt is a great addition to the cast of the movie. His physique and presence bring a little freshness. He does well in what’s given to him. However, the dubbing ruins the effect. It is distracting, and immediately takes us out of character and reminds us of him as a Hindi export.
The rest of the cast comprises Puri’s regulars like Ali, Sayaji Shinde, Makrand Deshpande, Uttej, Pragati and others. Among them, Jhansi registers even with a small duration even if there’s nothing exceptional. Pragati overacts. Ali gets a unique character. It starts well but gets tiring and irritating as it progresses. Shinde is reliable as always and Getup Seenu is adequate.
Music and Other Departments?
Mani Sharma who was one of the biggest backbones of Ismart Shankar is on board for the second part, as well. The songs, unfortunately, as not as impactful as the previous one, though. The background score is alright. The cinematography fails to bring a fresh look to the proceedings. Some parts with Don’s backdrop are okay, otherwise, nothing stands out visually. The editing could have been better.
Highlights?
Ram’s energy and dance
Novel plot element
Fights
Drawbacks?
Routine execution of a novel concept
Forced drama
Excessive length
Lacks fresh scenes
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Double ISMART Movie Review by M9
U.S. Premiere Report:
Double iSmart is packed with Ram’s high energy from start to finish, but on the flip side, everything else feels forced, including the mother angle. There is no Puri-mark writing despite having a novel core idea. Watch it with double the lowered expectations.
Stay tuned for Double ISMART review, USA report soon.
Director Puri Jagannadh is back after a massive disappointment like Liger, this time with a sequel to his commercially successful film iSmart Shankar. While the expectations are clear for the film, we need to see how Puri delivers an out-and-out mass film that fits the current trends.
Cast: Ram Pothineni, Sanjay Dutt, Kavya Thapar, Bani J, Ali, Getup Sreenu, Sayaji Shinde, Makrand Deshpande, Temper Vamsi & others
Writer, Director: Puri Jagannadh
Producers: Puri Jagannadh, Charmme Kaur
Banner: Puri Connects
Music: Manisharma
CEO: Vish
DOP: Sam K Naidu, Gianni Giannelli
Editor: Karthika Sreenivas R
