Movie Name : Double iSmart
Release Date : August 15, 2024
Starring : Ram Pothineni, Kavya Thapar, Sanjay Dutt, Getup Srinu, Ali, Sayaji Shinde
Director : Puri Jagannadh
Producers : Puri Jagannadh, Charmme Kaur
Music Director: Mani Sharma
Cinematographer: Gianni Giannelli, Shyam K. Naidu
Editor: Karthika Sreenivas R
Double Ismart is the latest action thriller featuring Ram Pothineni, directed by Puri Jagannadh. The movie arrived with decent expectations—let’s see how it fares.
Story:
International mafia don Big Bull (Sanjay Dutt) is desperate to escape death after being diagnosed with Glioma. A scientist suggests that transferring his memory to another person’s brain could make him immortal. Their search for the ideal candidate leads them to Shankar (Ram Pothineni) in Hyderabad. The memory transfer takes place, and what follows is the thrilling core of the story, best experienced on the big screen.
Plus Points:
Ram Pothineni is back as iSmart Shankar, and like in the first installment, he delivers a standout performance in the sequel. His mass attitude and intense dialogue delivery are once again entertaining.
Kavya Thapar joins Ram as his love interest, and their combination scenes are decent to watch. Sanjay Dutt, portraying a mafia don, adds some weight to the film, though his performance is just okay.
The rest of the cast performs within their limits, and the action sequences are well executed in certain parts.
Minus Points:
While the basic plot is nice, justifying the decision to create a sequel, Puri Jagannadh and his team seemed uninterested in making the narration engaging. The story requires a gripping screenplay, which is notably lacking, especially in the second half, making it challenging to stay engaged.
The emotional aspects fail to resonate due to a lack of depth. Many characters seem to exist only to fill the screen. Jhansi’s role could have been more impactful, and her flashback scenes might have added some emotional weight. Pragathi’s exaggerated performance is better left unmentioned.
The comedy falls flat. Ali’s character and his attempts at humour are more irritating than amusing. The songs and their placement feel out of sync with the narrative, seemingly added just to give the audience a break but failing to do so.
Manisharma’s trademark intense background score, which could have elevated the movie, is a significant miss in this sequel. The face-off scenes with Sanjay Dutt don’t work, making his Telugu debut less than impressive. His character is poorly established, and the dubbing feels awkward.
Technical Aspects:
It’s high time for Puri Jagannadh to reflect and come up with a script that can revive the massy, vintage style many fans have been missing. Unfortunately, this is another weak film that doesn’t do him any favours. The storyline is decent, but the execution misfires.
Editor Junaid Siddiqui could have improved the film by trimming many unnecessary scenes that disrupt the flow, especially in the second half. Raj Thota’s cinematography is satisfactory, and the production values are up to par. However, Manisharma could have done better, at least to elevate the movie in certain places.
Verdict:
On the whole, Double iSmart struggles to live up to the hype of its predecessor, iSmart Shankar. Despite Ram Pothineni’s commendable efforts, his talent feels underutilised. The plot has potential, but the execution falls short, especially in the dragging second half. Kavya Thapar’s presence is minimal, and Ali’s comedy track fails to deliver laughs. Sanjay Dutt’s portrayal as the villain comes across as just another routine bad guy. If you’re in search of solid entertainment, this might not be your best pick.
Rating : 2.5/5
