Puri Jagannad’s latest offering “Double iSmart” hit the screens on 15th August 2024, starring Ram Pothineni and Sanjay Dutt, as the Independence Day release. The high expectations were at a minimum from critics and audiences. Its counterpart was the hit of 2019, “iSmart Shankar.” “Double iSmart” thus pretty much failed to do justice to its prequel.
Unannounced OTT Release
As a big surprise, “Double iSmart” released on Amazon Prime Video on September 5, 2024, within just 21 days of its release in theaters. The release of the film on the OTT platform was completely unannounced; neither Prime Video nor Puri Connects, the production company of the film, made any official announcement. The movie is streaming in Telugu as per the original content language and also in dubbed languages like Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada. Remains to be seen if this will now be followed up by a Hindi version.
Plot and Cast
Double iSmart” sequel furthers the story of iSmart Shankar, played by Ram Pothineni, who gets into the trouble stage again. He faces a dying gangster this time called Big Bull, played by Sanjay Dutt, who wished for immortality and wanted his memories transferred to Shankar. The film stars Kavya Thapar, Bani J, Ali, and Sayaji Shinde in key roles. Despite the grand star cast, the movie did not do that great at the box office.
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Criticism and Reception
The old “iSmart Shankar” was a box office blockbuster, despite criticism of sexist elements. The case was different with “Double iSmart”. Critics and audiences tore the movie apart for its poor writing and a weak storyline. Especially in bad taste was Ali’s comedy track. Neither was the music by Mani Sharma anything out of the ordinary.
Struggling for Success: Puri Jagannadh and Ram Pothineni
Both of these names have been juggling with Box Office results in the last couple of years. After the success of “iSmart Shankar,” Puri went on to direct “Liger” in 2022 with Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Panday. To his ill fate, “Liger” was a critical and commercial failure. So, there have been so many expectations from “Double iSmart.” Yet again, it does become a disappointment for the audience.
Ram Pothineni, too, has been finding it rather difficult to taste success after “iSmart Shankar.” His successive films, “Red” (2021), “The Warriorr” (2022), and “Skanda” (2023), turned out to be duds at the box office. Curiously, both “Red” and “Skanda” had him in dual roles. He will next work with Rukmini Vasanth.
The Future of "Double iSmart" on OTT
While “Double iSmart” had an early premiere on Amazon Prime Video, it now gets an opportunity to reach out to a much larger audience base. Presently, the movie is streaming in over 240 countries and territories around the world. It remains to be seen how far the movie will succeed in drawing better attention and appreciation on the OTT platform.
Though “Double iSmart” didn’t create magic in theatres, this is a second chance for the film to find its audience with an early OTT release. Considering the continued career trajectories of Puri Jagannadh and Ram Pothineni, performances of “Double iSmart” on Amazon Prime Video might be followed by both fans and industry insiders alike.
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