Following the earlier DD One and DD Returns films starring Santhanam, DD Next Level arrives in the same style. The story follows Kissa (Santhanam), a film critic who gives negative reviews to many films. One day, he receives an invitation to attend a special screening with his family. Upon accepting and arriving at the theater, he discovers it's haunted. Those who enter cannot leave due to supernatural barriers. Specifically, when a film plays on screen, Kissa gets pulled into the movie itself. It happens to be a horror film, and the theater's ghost informs him that he must escape from the ghosts inside the film to survive. The climax reveals what happens to Kissa, his family, and his girlfriend after they become trapped with the ghosts in the film.
Director S. Prem Anand has crafted a unique screenplay featuring a film within a film. The truth is that this story is difficult to understand by just hearing or reading about it - only by watching the film can one somewhat grasp the concept.
Santhanam has understood and performed his role well. Everyone else who acted alongside him seems to have merely performed what the director instructed and left. Unlike his usual self, Santhanam shows differences in hairstyle, body language, and dialogue delivery for the Kissa character. At the same time, maintaining his trademark mockery and sarcasm is a big plus.
Although Santhanam plays a film critic in the movie, we never actually see him critiquing any films, which diminishes his character's image. If he had been shown criticizing a Superstar film, Ulaga Nayagan film, or any other hero's film, we could have believed that's why the ghost is chasing him... Overall, it seems like the film eventually shies away from the YouTube critic angle, concluding that a good film will succeed and a bad one will fail regardless of reviews.
The director has created different comedy episodes for each actor - Motta Rajendran has mouse comedy, Nizhalgal Ravi has toilet comedy, Redin Kingsley has water pot comedy, Maran has scenes flirting with Kasthuri, and Gautham Menon has scenes romancing Yashika. These varied comedy tracks help keep the film moving lively. Santhanam embraces all these characters, stands up to the ghosts, and delivers comedy punches wherever possible, turning the entire film into an entertaining mood.
The film has more action comedy scenes than dialogue comedy, which makes them difficult to describe here. Director Selvaraghavan appears as the ghost Hitchcock Hrudayaraj who torments Santhanam, delivering rapid-fire dialogue from his seated position. Yashika Anand and Kasthuri compete in showing glamour. While Yashika Anand displays youthful allure, Kasthuri tries to entice viewers by showing off her thigh beauty despite her age.
Appro has composed the music. There was a song "Govinda Govinda" set to the tune of the devotional song "Srinivasa Govinda," which was colorfully featured in the film. However, due to controversy claiming it demeaned the Tirupati Venkatajalapathi, the song has been completely removed from the film. Additionally, it's reported that the film's hero Santhanam has been banned from visiting Tirupati hill. Deepak Kumar has handled the cinematography. Director S. Prem Anand has taken a complex story and made it accessible through comedy scenes, delivering it as a humorous film. If asked whether it has as much humor as DD Returns, DD Next Level's comedy works out slightly behind that film.
Cast: Santhanam, Geethika Tiwari, Gautham Menon, Motta Rajendran, Kingsley, Nizhalgal Ravi, Maran, Kasthuri, Yashika Anand
Production: Actor Arya, Venkat
Music: Appro
Cinematography: Deepak Kumar
Direction: S. Prem Anand
PRO: Nikhil Murugan
DD Next Level - There's no disappointment in calling it a comedy film.
