Double iSmart: Ram Pothineni, Puri Jagannadh’s sequel to iSmart Shankar goes on floors with an action sequence

Puri Jagannadh isn’t a director who sits and laments over his failures and has a history of bouncing back with a bang after a low phase. Many may have written him off after Liger, but he looks as eager as ever to reinvent himself again. His next is Double iSmart, the sequel to his hit film iSmart Shankar. He’s also co-producing this film along with Charmme Kaur under Puri Connects.

The film, to be headlined by Ram Pothineni, was officially launched amidst a quiet pooja ceremony earlier this week minus any hullabaloo. Today, the actioner went on floors in Mumbai. A grand action sequence is being canned in the city under the supervision of stunt director Kecha, a regular collaborator with Puri Jagannadh since Iddarammayilatho.

Renowned Hollywood cinematographer Gianni Giannelli is cranking the camera for the action entertainer. A working still from the sets was also unveiled by the makers to confirm the news, where Ram is seated in a truck while Puri Jagannadh and the crew are finalising the shot. It’s not known if iSmart Shankar’s leading ladies - Nabha Natesh, Nidhhi Agerwal - will be retained for the sequel.

Much like Liger, this Puri Jagannadh directorial will also simultaneously release in five languages - Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi, commemorating Maha Shivaratri on March 8, 2024. Vishu Reddy, who played a key role in Liger, is the CEO. The entertainer is being made on massive budget. Details of the other cast, crew will be announced shortly.

Ram has a release in 2023 too - Skanda, a rustic action entertainer, directed by Boyapati Sreenu, also starring Sreeleela. The film, which has music by S Thaman, will release worldwide on September 15 for Vinayaka Chavithi. It’s a pan-Indian project produced by Srinivasaa Chitturi under Srinivasaa Silver Screen (the makers of films like Custody, Warriorr).