Puri Jagannadh reveals how Vijayendra Prasad offered help with Double iSmart after Liger setback

At the pre-release event for Double iSmart, filmmaker Puri Jagannadh expressed his gratitude to screenwriter Vijayendra Prasad, who has penned blockbusters like Baahubali and RRR. He recalled a phone conversation with the seasoned screenwriter that helped him overcome the massive setback following the failure of Liger.

"When you make a hit film, many people call you to congratulate you. But when I made a flop movie, I got a call from Vijayendra Prasad. He usually doesn't call me, so I was surprised," Puri noted.

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Many may not know that Vijayendra Prasad considers Puri one of the best writers in Indian cinema. Filmmaker Sukumar once revealed that he was surprised to see that Puri was Vijayendra's mobile screensaver, underscoring the latter's admiration for his talents.

"He asked me, 'Sir, can you do me a small favour?' I asked him what I could do for him. He replied, 'When are you doing your next movie?' I said, 'I haven't decided yet.' He then said, 'Could you tell me the story of your next film before you make it? Because I can't bear to see a director like you fail. We can iron out any small mistakes in the story. Please tell me before you make your next movie,'" Puri recalled.

Puri said that the phone call left him emotional, as it gave him a glimpse of Vijayendra's admiration and care for him. "I didn't tell him the story of Double iSmart. I felt this was a job I knew, and let's do it properly. I will meet him soon," Puri said, expressing confidence in the potential of Double iSmart to resonate with audiences.

Double iSmart is the sequel to the 2019 hit iSmart Shankar. It stars Ram Pothineni and Sanjay Dutt in lead roles.

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