iSmart Shankar
iSmart Shankar is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language science fiction action film written and directed by Puri Jagannadh, produced by Puri Jagannadh and Charmme Kaur with music composed by Mani Sharma.[3] It stars Ram Pothineni, Nabha Natesh, Nidhhi Agerwal, Satyadev Kancharana, and Puneet Issar. The film follows a contract killer who helps the police when a slain police officer's memories are transferred to his brain which is same as the plot in the 2016 hollywood thriller Criminal (2016).
| iSmart Shankar | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Puri Jagannadh |
| Produced by | Puri Jagannadh Charmme Kaur |
| Based on | Criminal |
| Starring | Ram Pothineni Nabha Natesh Nidhhi Agerwal Satyadev Kancharana Puneet Issar |
| Music by | Mani Sharma |
| Cinematography | Raj Thota |
| Edited by | Junaid Siddiqui |
Production company | Puri Connects Puri Jagannadh Touring Talkies |
Release date |
|
| Language | Telugu |
| Box office | ₹ 100 crore[1][2] |
The film was released theatrically on 18 July 2019. It was a commercial success, running for more than 100 days at the box office.[1] A sequel titled Double iSmart has been officially announced.[4]
Plot
Shankar is a contract killer who works under Kaka. Under Mama's orders, he murders a high-profile politician named Kasi Viswanath. Vishwanath's son Devendra and his brother in law Ramamoorthy swear revenge on Shankar. The film opens with Shankar escaping from jail while being chased by the police. He beats up the police and escapes in a truck where he recollects the past.
While extorting money from an apartment builder, he encounters Chandni, who is a fearless girl and even goes to the extent of slapping Shankar. He gets impressed by this and falls for her. After a few altercations, she reciprocates. Once Shankar murders Kasi Vishwanath on Kaka's orders, he escapes to Goa with Chandni.
However, the police find out his location and track him down. While escaping, Chandni is shot and killed. Shankar is beside himself with grief and swears to kill the person who killed her.
In a parallel storyline, Sara is a neuroscientist who is working on memory transfer and has achieved successful results with rats. Her boyfriend, Arun is a CBI officer who is trying to crack the case of the murder of Kasi Vishwanath. He believes there is a higher force that planned and killed him.
Shankar finds out that Kaka was ordered to kill him as well and murders Kaka when he plans to escape in Sarah's car. He flees while Sarah calls Arun. Arun catches a guy running but the guy is killed when a car hits him. Arun's higher-ups are after him to find the killer and while Arun is about to crack the case, he is shot and killed by goons. The CBI is desperate to know who the murderer is, so with Sarah's help, they transfer Arun's memory to Shankar, knowing full well doing so will remove his past.
Shankar wakes up and experiences shocks and memories that aren't his own. He gets enraged when Sarah reveals the truth to him and realizes that he will not remember Chandni in a few days. He experiences brief flashes where he becomes Arun but reverts to being Shankar.
He finds Arun's house and discovers a bag that has all the proof who the murderer is, who turns out to be Ramamoorthy and Devendra. Shankar then fully looses his memory becoming Arun. He then pursues them under the guise of Shankar and in the end, however, Arun suddenly reverts back to Shankar and he finds out that Devendra is the one who killed Chandini and he kills him. The film ends with Arun and Sarah going to Hong Kong and proposing marriage to Sarah on 14 Feb, like Arun had planned with Sarah.
Cast
- Ram Pothineni as Shankar / Arun
- Nabha Natesh as Chandni
- Nidhhi Agerwal as Dr. Sarah
- Satyadev Kancharana as Arun
- Puneet Issar as Chief Minister Kashi Viswanath
- Ashish Vidyarthi as Ramamoorthy, Central Minister
- Sayaji Shinde as Chandrakanth, CBI Officer
- Madhusudhan Rao as Kaaka
- Raj Deepak Shetty as Devendra Viswanath
- Getup Srinu as Shankar's friend
- Lekha Prajapati as an item number in "Bonalu" Song
- Puri Jagannadh as himself in the song "iSmart Theme"
Production
The Hyderabad portion of scheduled filming finished in February.[5] Filming in Goa completed in March.[6] The action scenes of the film were shot in Varanasi during April.[7] Filming completed in mid May.[8]
Soundtrack
| iSmart Shankar | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 4 July 2019 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 21:09 | |||
| Language | Telugu | |||
| Label | Zee Music South | |||
| Mani Sharma chronology | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dimaak Kharaab" | Kasarla Shyam | Keerthana Sharma & Saketh ko | 4:40 |
| 2. | "Zindabad Zindabad" | Bhaskarabhatla Ravi Kumar | Sarath Santhosh and Ramya Behara | 4:40 |
| 3. | "iSmart Theme" | Bhaskarabhatla Ravi Kumar | Anurag Kulkarni | 4:12 |
| 4. | "Undipo" | Bhaskarabhatla Ravi Kumar | Anurag Kulkarni, Ramya Behara | 5:09 |
| 5. | "Bonalu" | Kasarla Shyam | Rahul Sipligunj, Mohana Bhogaraju | 5:51 |
| Total length: | 21:09 | |||
Marketing and release
The teaser of the film was launched on 15 May to coincide with the birthday of Ram Pothineni.[3][9]
Reception
Critical reception
Firstpost gave 3 out of 5 stars stating "iSmart Shankar is proof enough that Puri Jagannadh is back with a bang. It might not be his best film, but it’s certainly his most watchable film in years. And Ram is a ball of energy. iSmart Shankar might have its roots in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but Puri Jagannadh gives it his own spin and reimagines it as a quintessential Telugu mass film.".[10]
The Times of India gave 2.5 out of 5 stars stating "In this make-believe world, when rules change by-the-minute, it’s hard to give a damn".[11]
Sify gave 2.5 out of 5 stars stating "iSmart Shankar is aimed at frontbenchers. Despite the idea of transplantation of memories being new, the rest of the story and its treatment are over-the-top and too clichéd. This is a loud mass action-thriller".[12]
Awards and nominations
| Date of ceremony | Award | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 January 2020 | Zee Cine Awards Telugu | Best Director | Puri Jagannadh | Won | [13] |
| Best Producer | Charmy Kaur | Won | |||
| Best Music Director | Mani Sharma | Won | |||
| Sensational Star of the Year | Ram Pothineni | Won | |||
References
- "iSmart Shankar completes 100 days; Ram, Puri and Charmme reminisce the success - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- "Ram Pothineni's 'iSmart Shankar' in trouble over actor being shown smoking in film's poster". DNA India. 3 August 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- "Ismart Shankar teaser out. Ram Pothineni gives fans action-packed return gift on his birthday". India Today. 15 May 2019.
- "Puri Jagannadh confirms the sequel to 'iSmart Shankar'; Title registered as 'Double iSmart'". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
- "ISMART SHANKAR' DONE WITH HYD SCHEDULE, TO GO TO GOA". India Glitz. 28 February 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- Neeshita Nyayapati (23 March 2019). "Puri Jagannadh and Ram Pothineni's 'iSmart Shankar' wraps up Goa schedule". Times of India. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- "'iSmart Shankar' moves to Varanasi". Telugu Cinema. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- "'ISMART SHANKAR' WRAPS UP TALKIE PART, LOCKS TEASER DATE". India Glitz. 12 May 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- Kumar R, Manoj (15 May 2019). "iSmart Shankar movie teaser: Ram Pothineni transforms into Puri Jagannadh's hero". The Indian Express. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- "iSmart Shankar movie review: Ram's pulsating energy meets its match in Puri Jagannadh's irreverence". Firstpost. 18 July 2019.
- "ISMART SHANKAR MOVIE REVIEW". TimesofIndia.
- "iSmart Shankar review: A loud, over-the-top mass action-thriller". sify.
- "Zee Cine awards Telugu 2020: Samantha Akkineni, Chiranjeevi and Nani win top laurels". Hindustan Times. 12 January 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2020.