Double iSmart Review: A Sequel That Misses the Mark and Tests Your Patience
Double iSmart Review: Sequels often aim to delve deeper into a character’s story or build on the original film’s narrative. But sometimes, they seem to exist solely to milk the success of their predecessors, and unfortunately, Puri Jagannadh’s ‘Double iSmart’ falls into the latter category.
In this sequel, we find iSmart Shankar (played by Ram Pothineni) back in his old ways as a goon, abandoning his CBI work from the first film. He’s back to his shady activities, harassing women like Jannat (Kavya Thapar), whom he barely knows. Enter Big Bull (Sanjay Dutt), a standard gangster smuggling weapons and drugs. When Big Bull learns shocking news, he transfers his memories to another person to achieve immortality. A scientist named Thomas (Makarand Deshpande) suggests using Shankar for this risky procedure, given Shankar’s experience.
If the plot of Double iSmart sounds recycled, it essentially rehashes the same story as the first film. Shankar’s character is toned down this time – he’s less abrasive and only forcibly kisses Jannat once, as opposed to the more disturbing behavior in the first movie. Yet, to balance this out, we’re introduced to Boka (Ali), a tribal character depicted in the most offensive and cringe-worthy manner possible. His antics, meant to be comedic, only add to the film’s overall discomfort and lack of humor.
The film also struggles with continuity. Characters from the previous movie are either forgotten or ignored, leaving us questioning the connections between the two films. Arun (Satyadev) and Dr. Sarah (Nidhhi Agerwal) are absent, whose absence is glaring. Shankar’s backstory involving his mother, Pochamma (Jhansi), is shoehorned in as a last-minute emotional ploy.
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Mani Sharma’s music tries to evoke emotions but often ends up being unintentionally funny. Lines like “Aye tera Kung Fu wung fu nahi chalega” and “Your boyfriend has made my life difficult” only add to the absurdity.
While iSmart Shankar wasn’t a masterpiece, it had moments that made Shankar’s motivations understandable. In ‘Double iSmart,’ the lack of continuity and fresh storytelling makes it feel lazy, and the attempt to recreate the same tropes frustrates the film. By the end, when a character exclaims, “Maku opikalu asalu levu ra” (We have no patience left) perfectly encapsulates the viewer’s experience.