Director Puri Jagannadh, who is enjoying the super success of iSmart Shankar, is just back from a tour of AP. Speaking about the film’s success in Hyderabad, he reveals that this was the first time that he worked so hard to get a hit.
“I was craving for a hit. It’s been almost three years since my last hit, so I was very tense,” he shares, adding that several top actors called him post the film’s release.
“Prabhas called and said that although he didn’t watch the film, he was very happy that it has turned into a hit. Naga Chaitanya, Akhil, Sumanth and Ram Charan also called and spoke to me, while both Chiranjeevi garu and Balakrishna garu saw the film. Rana, in fact, called me from abroad,” exults Puri, adding, “This is the first time that I received so many calls from several actors. Perhaps I didn’t make a good film all these days, but this success has brought me back home.”
The director reveals that he is already working on another script. “When we made this film, we knew that there was a sequel to it, and so, have already registered the title Double iSmart,” he shares.
Dismissing the fact that people in Andhra didn’t watch the film because of its Telangana accent, he states, “Many people told me that the Telangana accent may not be understood in Andhra. But when I toured from Kurnool to Visakhapatnam, many Andhra people replied to me in that accent, which indicates that they might be watching those films too.”
