Devil's Double: Next Level - A Movie Review by S Prem Anand featuring Santhanam, Selvaraghavan, and Geetika Tiwary. Rating: ★

Sanathanam, a different comedian-turned-hero, has produced movies for the general public, and thankfully, several of them have been successful for him. The Kollywood star has since produced a string of additional films, with Devil's Double Next Level being the fourth episode, following the success of his 2016 Rambhala-directed horror comedy, Dhilluku Dhuddu. However, S Prem Anand, who also directed the third film, DD Returns, wrote and directed this one.

DD Next Level: What happened?

The film begins by introducing us to the world of film critics and filmmakers. Krishna (Santhanam), also known as Kissa 47, is a YouTube film reviewer who stands out for the way he delivers his reviews via rapping. Despite his lack of formal education, job experience, or financial resources, Kissa attempts to be an extremely cool dude by using 10 "bros" in every sentence. Despite this, Harshini (Geetika Tiwary), a fairly affluent woman who is eager to marry him, is his girlfriend. And here's the surprise. He is invited by director Hitchcock Iruthyaraj (Selvaraghavan), who wants Kissa to analyze the film, to a private screening. Hitchcock Iruthyaraj plans this as a way to get back at movie reviewers when, for whatever reason, Kissa and his family wind up in Cinema Paradise and are pulled into the terrifying film. Things go haywire in the film as they take on new responsibilities and cease to be a family. In what way does Kissa and his family manage to break free from this nightmare?

Devil's Double Next Level is a parody movie that combines elements of other movies, such as The It Factor, White Lotus, Scream, and our own Tamil films. With his biting wit and flawless comedic timing, Santhanam has always been a master of comedy, never failing to make people smile. His strengths include his knack for creating dialogues that frequently go viral as catchy phrases, his sharp one-liners, and his sarcastic wit. The film's premise is humorous, but the way the script is written after that significant change makes it evident that the author(s) have lost track of the story. Take this for example - When Kasthuri Shankar, who plays Kissa's very religious mother, is pulled into the film, she is seen wearing a tight miniskirt and drinking beer. In the meantime, his father (Nizhalgal Ravi), who drives cars, takes command of the ship and has a PYT at his side.

In addition to the slasher and an evil power, this second reality is populated by a variety of odd personalities. Gautham Vasudev Menon plays inspector Raghavan, who speaks solely English and attempts to seduce a young lady (Yashika Aannaannd, who portrays Kissa's sister) in a parody of his own movies (Kaakha Kaakha). Additionally, we have comedians Redin Kingsley, Rajendran, Lollu Sabha Maran, Ganesh, and others. Considering that the film attempts to manufacture countless "humorous" scenarios with allusions to other movies, and that the corny dialogues seldom produce any laughs, the movie is hardly amusing.

Missed opportunities

The notion of having an opinion on film critics, particularly those that provide YouTube reviews, was a very innovative one that held a lot of promise for a relatable comedy. Regrettably, Prem Kumar, the filmmaker and screenwriter, didn't make the most of this concept and instead included absurd horror aspects in an attempt to attract a larger audience. Unfortunately, this picture portrays Santhanam as a caricature with no redeeming qualities—not even the so-called jokes.

Throughout the movie, Hitchcock Iruthyaraj repeatedly reminds Kissa that reviewers frequently dismiss films by saying, "First half lame, second boring," and that he must endure this second reality. One cannot even state "first half lame, second boring" when it comes to viewing and reviewing Santhanam's Devil's Double Next Level because the entire film experience was, to put it mildly, painful.

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