# Double iSmart
**Double iSmart** (Telugu: డబుల్ ఇస్మార్ట్) is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language science fiction action film written and directed by [Puri Jagannadh](https://www.edgepedia.org/puri-jagannadh), who co-produced it with Charmme Kaur under the banner Puri Connects. It is a sequel to the 2019 film *iSmart Shankar* and stars [Ram Pothineni](https://www.edgepedia.org/ram-pothineni), Sanjay Dutt, and Kavya Thapar, with [Sayaji Shinde](https://www.edgepedia.org/sayaji-shinde), Getup Srinu, Makarand Deshpande, and Ali in supporting roles.[1](https://www.moviecrow.com/movie/5023/double-ismart/story) • [2](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/28107/doubleismart/) The film was released in theaters on August 15, 2024, the Indian Independence Day holiday, in Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, and Tamil versions.[3](https://www.filmibeat.com/telugu/movies/double-ismart.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writer | Puri Jagannadh, who also co-produced with Charmme Kaur under Puri Connects[1](https://www.moviecrow.com/movie/5023/double-ismart/story) |
| Lead cast | Ram Pothineni as iSmart Shankar, Sanjay Dutt as Big Bull, Kavya Thapar as Jannat[4](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1127824) |
| Release | August 15, 2024, in Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, and Tamil[3](https://www.filmibeat.com/telugu/movies/double-ismart.html) |
| Certification | A (adults only) in India, reflecting its intense action sequences[5](https://tfja.in/english/ram-pothineni-double-ismart-gets-an-a-certificate/) |
| Music | Mani Sharma, with lyrics by Bhaskarabhatla and Kasarla Shyam[2](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/28107/doubleismart/) |
| IMDb rating | 2.9/10 from about 2,400 votes[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27610677/ratings/) |
| Streaming | Amazon Prime Video from September 5, 2024[3](https://www.filmibeat.com/telugu/movies/double-ismart.html) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
The story continues from *iSmart Shankar*, in which the memories of a slain police officer were transplanted into the brain of the street-smart renegade Shankar (Ram Pothineni). In the sequel, Big Bull ([Sanjay Dutt](https://www.edgepedia.org/sanjay-dutt)), a notorious international criminal facing death, wants to achieve a form of immortality by transferring his own memories into Shankar's brain, which already carries another person's memories, leading to a confrontation between the two men.[4](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1127824) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27610677/) A review summary in *Film Information* adds that Big Bull wants his memory preserved so that his unfinished task of dividing India into two parts can be completed, while Shankar has his own grievance against him.[8](https://filminformation.com/featured/double-ismart-dubbed-review-15-august-2024/)
As in the first film, the memory-transfer device is used as the science-fiction element of an otherwise commercial action story. Ram Pothineni said before release that the sequel continues the story from where the first part ended and adds a mother-son emotional track as a central element.[9](https://www.ottplay.com/news/ram-pothineni-interview-on-double-ismart-my-character-has-a-weird-attitude-and-crazy-entertainment/60c43c735e522)
## Production and cast
Puri Jagannadh directed the film and wrote its story and screenplay, five years after the commercially successful *iSmart Shankar* (2019). *Double iSmart* was his first film as director after *Liger* (2022), which performed poorly at the box office.[10](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/double-ismart-x-review-netizens-call-puri-jagannadhs-film-a-commercial-hit-praise-ram-pothinenis-energy-9515947/lite/) The technical crew included cinematographers Sam K Naidu and Gianni Giannelli, editor Karthika Srinivas, and composer [Mani Sharma](https://www.edgepedia.org/mani-sharma); the action was choreographed by Kecha Khamphakdee and Real Sathish.[2](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/28107/doubleismart/) • [3](https://www.filmibeat.com/telugu/movies/double-ismart.html)
Sanjay Dutt's casting was a notable point of the production: the Hindi-language film star played the antagonist Big Bull, and the role is described as his Telugu acting debut and first major Telugu role.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27610677/) • [11](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/double-ismart-2024-hindi) Kavya Thapar, who played Jannat, said in an interview that she had been rejected for *iSmart Shankar* and that the sequel takes the story forward with Ram Pothineni's character written as even more unrestrained than in the first film.[12](https://www.ottplay.com/amp/interview/kavya-thapar-on-double-ismart-i-was-rejected-by-puri-jagannadh-for-ismart-shankar/8f058529c1123)
The film passed censorship with an A (adults only) certificate in India, which trade commentary attributed to its intense action sequences; reports around release gave its length as 2 hours and 42 minutes.[5](https://tfja.in/english/ram-pothineni-double-ismart-gets-an-a-certificate/) Databases differ on the final runtime: IMDb and [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) list 2h 36m (156 minutes), while TMDB, MovieCrow, and Filmibeat list 2h 42m or 162 minutes.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27610677/) • [4](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1127824) • [3](https://www.filmibeat.com/telugu/movies/double-ismart.html)
## Release and box office
The film opened in theaters on August 15, 2024, a date chosen to coincide with the Independence Day holiday weekend.[3](https://www.filmibeat.com/telugu/movies/double-ismart.html) • [10](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/double-ismart-x-review-netizens-call-puri-jagannadhs-film-a-commercial-hit-praise-ram-pothinenis-energy-9515947/lite/) According to early estimates by the industry tracker Sacnilk reported by *The Indian Express*, it collected around Rs 44.3 million (Rs 4.43 crore) by 4 pm on its opening day.[10](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/double-ismart-x-review-netizens-call-puri-jagannadhs-film-a-commercial-hit-praise-ram-pothinenis-energy-9515947/lite/) IMDb's box office section lists a gross worldwide figure of $47,191.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27610677/) *The Pioneer* described the film as another big flop for Puri Jagannadh after *Liger*.[13](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2024/epaper/august/vijayawada-english-edition-2024-08-23.pdf)
The film reached streaming on Amazon Prime Video on September 5, 2024, about three weeks after its theatrical release.[3](https://www.filmibeat.com/telugu/movies/double-ismart.html)
## Reception
Critical response was negative. The Cinema Express review, rating it 1.5 out of 5, called the film a lewd, overbearing action vehicle that was uninterested in drama and relied on juvenile humor and misogynistic jokes.[14](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/review/2024/Aug/16/double-ismart-movie-review-a-lewd-overbearing-action-vehicle) MovieCrow's aggregated critic scores ranged from 1.5 to 2.5 out of 5, with reviewers writing that the memory-transfer idea introduced in the first film was wasted, that the sequel seemed made to capitalize on the first film's success, and that Ram Pothineni's talent felt underused in a dragging second half.[15](https://www.moviecrow.com/movie/5023/double-ismart-telugu-movie-review/review) Filmibeat gave it 2.5 out of 5.[3](https://www.filmibeat.com/telugu/movies/double-ismart.html)
Audience reactions on release day were mixed. *The Indian Express* reported that some users on X called the film a "commercial hit" and praised Ram Pothineni's energy and Mani Sharma's music, while others called it a waste of money and time.[10](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/double-ismart-x-review-netizens-call-puri-jagannadhs-film-a-commercial-hit-praise-ram-pothinenis-energy-9515947/lite/) On IMDb the film holds a rating of 2.9/10 from about 2,400 users, and on Rotten Tomatoes the audience Popcornmeter stood at 28% with fewer than 50 ratings and no critic reviews tallied.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27610677/ratings/) • [16](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/double_ismart)
## References
1. [Double iSmart synopsis and credits, MovieCrow](https://www.moviecrow.com/movie/5023/double-ismart/story)
2. [Double iSmart Telugu Movie overview, Nowrunning](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/28107/doubleismart/)
3. [Double iSmart (2024), Filmibeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/telugu/movies/double-ismart.html)
4. [Double iSmart (2024), The Movie Database](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1127824)
5. [Ram Pothineni, 'Double ISMART' Gets An A Certificate, TFJA](https://tfja.in/english/ram-pothineni-double-ismart-gets-an-a-certificate/)
6. [Double Ismart (2024) Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27610677/ratings/)
7. [Double Ismart (2024), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27610677/)
8. ['Double iSmart' (Dubbed) Review, Film Information, August 15, 2024](https://filminformation.com/featured/double-ismart-dubbed-review-15-august-2024/)
9. [Ram Pothineni interview on Double iSmart, OTTplay](https://www.ottplay.com/news/ram-pothineni-interview-on-double-ismart-my-character-has-a-weird-attitude-and-crazy-entertainment/60c43c735e522)
10. [Double iSmart X review, The Indian Express, August 15, 2024](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/double-ismart-x-review-netizens-call-puri-jagannadhs-film-a-commercial-hit-praise-ram-pothinenis-energy-9515947/lite/)
11. [Double iSmart, Moviebuff](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/double-ismart-2024-hindi)
12. [Kavya Thapar on Double iSmart, OTTplay](https://www.ottplay.com/amp/interview/kavya-thapar-on-double-ismart-i-was-rejected-by-puri-jagannadh-for-ismart-shankar/8f058529c1123)
13. [The Pioneer, Vijayawada English edition, August 23, 2024](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2024/epaper/august/vijayawada-english-edition-2024-08-23.pdf)
14. [Double iSmart Movie Review: A lewd, overbearing action vehicle, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/review/2024/Aug/16/double-ismart-movie-review-a-lewd-overbearing-action-vehicle)
15. [Double Ismart critic reviews, MovieCrow](https://www.moviecrow.com/movie/5023/double-ismart-telugu-movie-review/review)
16. [Double iSmart, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/double_ismart)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Telugu films of the 2020s › Telugu films of 2024*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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