'Double Ismart' Movie Review - Not Double, Only Half Ismart!

'Double Ismart' Movie Review

Cast: Ram Pothineni, Sanjay Dutt, Kavya Thapar, Getup Srinu, Shayaji Shinde, Makarand Deshpande, Temper Vamsi, Pragathi, Jhansi and others.

Music: Mani Sharma

Cinematography: Sam K Naidu - Gianni Giannelli

Producer: Puri Jagannadh - Charmme

Story – Screenplay – Dialogues – Direction: Puri Jagannadh

'Ismart Shankar' which arrived 5 years back turned out to be a blockbuster. Ram's brand new crazy avatar, Puri's whacky direction and Mani Sharma's chartbuster music album made the film highly successful. Puri tried to go pan-Indian with 'Liger' but delivered a huge disaster. With many believing that he is out of touch completely, Puri decided to prove them wrong with 'Double Ismart'. Let us dive into the review to find out if Puri made a comeback or not.

Story:

Shankar (Ram) is a crazy guy from Old City Hyderabad who believes that he is very clever. He attaches Ismart to his name and makes money out of robbing people. His only aim in life is to kill Big Bull (Sanjay Dutt) who kills his mother right in front of his eyes. Jannat (Kavya Thapar) enters his life and he starts harassing/loving her. Big Bull finds that he has a brain tumour and has no more than 3 months on this earth. On the suggestion of the doctor, Big Bull decides to take all his memories and insert it into another person's brain through a chip. He believes that it makes him live forever. He uses Shankar's brain for that purpose. What happens next in the lives of Big Bull and Shankar forms the rest of the story.

Analysis:

Puri Jagannadh is not just a name. it is a brand that redefined heroism in Tollywood. His is care of address for sharp dialogues that hit you like a bullet. He can deliver blockbusters with regular stories as his racy screenplay and pen power are nothing short of magic. But it is all in the past. Before getting stuck in the mafia stories, Puri picked different stories and showcased his quality. He made the youth go crazy with his films but his creativity vanished after making the same mafia films one after the other. His downfall was quite evident as he went down film after film. Even his ardent fans started to avoid his films. At a time when everyone thought that he is finished, Puri gave a glimmer of hope with 'Ismart Shankar'. It is not a great film but he came out of his regular stories and showed variation by picking up a script involving the memory transplant concept. Fantastic music and Ram's energy combined with Puri's taking resulted in a blockbuster like 'Ismart Shankar'. His next project 'Liger' ended up being a nightmare and 'Double Ismart' turned out to be the last hope for him. But there is no spark in this film. The undercooked drama, the used concept, average music, cringeworthy scenes and vulgar comedy made 'Double Ismart' a tedious and tiring watch.

The first thing we remember from all of Puri's recent films is a mafia don who makes countries shiver with his cruelty. He walks around with a huge gang and police keep searching for him. This is the common setup and Puri follows it once again when introducing Sanjay Dutt as villain. We understand that Puri is going to serve the same meal once again but expect an actor like Sanjay Dutt who add his own touch to the role. But he did the role without any effort and failed to make an impact. It is quite common to introduce the villain as a menacing person and turn him into a comedian later. This is a regular phenomenon in Tollywood films and Puri did the same thing. The way Sanju Baba is shown at the start and how it behaves later has no comparison at all. Such an international mafia don falling into the trap laid by a regular old city youngster is quite silly.

Having such a weak villain character spoils the excitement over 'Double Ismart'. We at least expect Ram to elevate the proceedings with his energy but his character is quite bumpy with many inconsistencies. Puri needs to leave the love track where the hero follows the heroine, harasses her, forces her and finally makes her fall in love. It is what he showed in 'Idiot' 20 years ago and it is what he is showing us now in 'Double Ismart'. The heroine is presented as a club manager at the start while she is shown as a thief in another instance. Finally, she ends up being a secret agent. We don't know whether to laugh or cry at this character. Barring her glamour, there is nothing to see in this love track. The way in which Puri showcased the RAW team is quite poor. We get that it is a commercial film but showing such officials in a comedy or silly manner is inexcusable.

The memory transplant concept used in 'Ismart Shankar' did not sound so exciting in this film. Puri dealt with it in a way that it does not give us any thrill. He failed to create more drama through this thread. What to say about Ali's track? We have not seen such crass comedy in any Telugu films in recent times. Puri and Ali's comedy tracks used to be so hilarious in the past. But it is completely vulgar and filthy this time. 'Double Ismart' gets saved by a few scenes which were well executed, the fast narration of Puri which doesn't let us think despite being quite routine, glam quotient, elements that attract the youth and mostly importantly Ram Pothineni who delivers everything he can in this role. While the movie lacks freshness and has an outdated look, there are some mass moments that might impress the B & C center audiences. But is not as enjoyable as 'Ismart Shankar' in case you liked that film.

Performances:

Ram continued his energetic 'Ismart Shankar' action in 'Double Ismart' too. He entertained the fans with his performance. People who liked him as 'Ismart Shankar' will love him in this flick too. He showcased good variations whenever required and proved his caliber. He even pulled off the Sanjay Dutt impersonation. He tries to save the film with all his efforts. Heroine Kavya Thapar indulged in a heavy glamour show right from the start. Puri tried to show her as a vamp more than a heroine in this film. She did a lot of skin show in every frame she appeared. She did not fit the role and her pairing with Ram too looked artificial. Sanjay Dutt looks stylish but his character lacks substance. Even the senior actor sleepwalks through his role. Having such a big name onboard did not serve its purpose. Ali's comedy is very filthy as he constantly makes vulgar signs and Puri tries to pass it off as comedy. Shayaji Shinde went overboard completely while Pragati is the same too. Jhansi did really well in the mother's role while Getup Seenu was okay too.

Technicians:

Mani Sharma who is the unsung hero of 'Ismart Shankar' has failed to deliver the same output for 'Double Ismart'. Though the songs are fine, it is not on the range of Ismart title song, Dimag Kharab, Zindabad and others. The songs did not bring the required energy this time. The background score is quite decent though. The cinematography is fantastic and the visuals came out pretty well. The production values are great and the editing is okay as well. Prorducer-writer-director Puri Jagannadh failed to make an impact once again. 'Double Ismart' proved that Puri is completely out of touch lately. He did not torture the audience with a film like 'Liger'. But did not engage the audience both as a writer and director. Ali's track shows us how Puri's stature has fallen from grace.

Verdict: 'Double Ismart' – Not Double, Only Half Ismart!

Rating: 2.5/5