Being a Puri Jagannath follower for a while, this is my personalized tracking where I felt there were three phases of the director’s career.
There are three stages of Puri Jagannath throughout his career:
1st Phase (Badri – Neninthe)
The first phase brought him stardom and showcased his prime example of how an actor should be presented on screen. He had the ability to reshape the careers of actors who worked with him, even those lacking mass appeal. Puri brought out the best in them. The emotions and love stories in his films were perfectly blended, and even now, we continue to enjoy them.
2nd & 3rd Phase (Ek Niranjan – Double iSmart)
Since Ek Niranjan, Puri has been a mixed bag, providing entertainment at times but not to the standards of the first phase. This is largely because he adopted a bolder approach to characterizations, which somewhat alienated the family audience. However, films like Businessman, Golimaar, and Temper, despite featuring protagonists with negative traits, conveyed good messages and helped maintain his hold in the second phase of his career.
The third phase has been tricky, as Puri sometimes overindulged in bold content without a strong script, focusing mainly on hero characterizations. While some films like Rogue and Double iSmart were impressive personally, the rest felt like undercooked entertainers.
I always believe that when the antagonist appears strong, the hero’s characterization tends to elevate, making the face-off more intriguing. That’s why, even during the less successful phases of Puri’s films, I still found charm in Rogue and Double iSmart.
Coming to Double iSmart, the main takeaway from Puri’s approach in handling films is his ability to learn from his past mistakes, including those from films that might otherwise have been forgotten.
1. Ram Pothineni’s Characterization:
In iSmart Shankar, Ram Pothineni’s role seemed more villainous than the actual villains in the film, who had limited screen presence and lacked variety. Ram’s character was portrayed as a roadside thug with a wild love story. The plot intensifies when his brain’s memories are mixed up with those of an honest police officer, leading the protagonist here is actually much more ruthless who seeks revenge for his girlfriend. However, in Double iSmart, Ram’s character is driven solely by the desire to kill the antagonist, a powerful don known as Big Bull, and seek revenge in a more justified manner. The backstory of the protagonist’s mother and her tragic end reveals his true nature.
2. Ram – Kavya Thappar’s Character Track:
During the course of the story, Ram’s character falls in love with Kavya Thappar’s character. Although some scenes may seem excessive, they make sense because, unlike Nabha in the first part, Kavya’s character has more significance. Her goal is to see the end of Big Bull through her professional role.
3. Sanjay Dutt – Bani J Track:
This track is a well-reimagined version of what we saw in Devudu Chesina Manushulu, where Prakash Raj and Jyothi Rana were depicted comically, and the script was handled in a rather carefree manner coupled with Bold scenes. While Bani J’s connection to Sanjay Dutt’s character is unclear, her role is portrayed as someone willing to fulfill the antagonist’s demands and she does justice to the role as a crucial member of the gang.
