Ism: Puri Magic Elevates Kalyan Ram’s Hero Image  

Cast: Kalyan Ram, Aditi Arya, Jagapati Babu

Director: Puri Jagannadh

Producers: Nandamuri Kalyan Ram

Music Director: Anup Rubens

Kalyan Ram's action entertainer Ism directed by Puri Jagannadh hit the screens on Friday after a massive hype. Let’s see if the movie met the expectations.

Storyline

The story opens with Satya Marthanda (Kalyan Ram) freaking out somewhere in Europe. Then he falls in love with Alia (Aditi Arya), the daughter of a dreaded don Javed Bhai (Jagapathi Babu) and wins her after a lot of struggle and efforts.

The twist comes here: he disappears just before both Alia and Javed Bhai approve of his love, without any apparent reason and comes back to India.

Who is this Satya? Why did he trap Javed Bhai’s daughter? What is the background that connects Satya and Javed Bhai? Find answers in the rest of the story; the movie is worth watching on the big screen.

Positives

Kalyan Ram is reinvented in ISM. His remarkably toned body, impeccable performance, and Puri's directorial skills enhanced his hero image. Though major credit goes to Puri for showcasing Kalyan in a completely new avatar, the hero also put his fullest efforts to reinvent himself. His emotional outburst is the peaks of acting performance and received a thumping response from the audience.

Jagapathi Babu's villain image also jumps up to a knot higher with Ism. With stylish looks and decent performance as Javed Bhai, Jagapathi Babu is an added advantage to the movie. Some scenes between him and Kalyan Ram, especially the Kareem Beedi scenes, are well written and nicely shot.

The court scene in the pre-climax is the best part of the film and that showcases Puri's ever expanding canvas with taut dialogues about corruption in the country.

Negatives

The corruption shown in the movie looks little overdone in certain areas. The suspense continues only until the twist is revealed and rest of the film is quite predictable. Jagapathi Babu’s character is not handled well. Especially the way his role ends looks outright silly and spoils the climax.

The story is just dragged on in some parts. The second half is rushed up with not many interesting scenes for about half an hour. Ism meaning an ideology, Kalyan’s vision and mission and strategy need to be explained in a better way.

While Kalyan's looks are highly enhanced in Ism, Aditi Arya could not match up. She is quite raw and someone else would have been a great pair.

Technical Aspects

Production quality by NTR Arts is great. The stunning camera work showcases the film in a completely new light. Puri has done a great job in showcasing the tense court scenes in a gripping way. Editing and artwork are ok. Anup Rubens' music is just about average but his background score elevates many scenes quite nicely.

Director Puri Jagannadh has done a great job. The way he has narrated the story in an interesting way and showcased Kalyan Ram needs a special mention. Had he handled the second half and ended the film after the court scene, it would have been superb climax for the film.

Verdict

ISM is a very honest attempt from Kalyan Ram and Puri. The Nandamuri hero’s stunning performance, first half, and a gripping pre-climax are major assets. If you ignore the lackluster climax and some hurried up scenes here and there, ISM will surely impress those who love hardcore commercial entertainers with a good message.

Taking into consideration a unanimous positive response from audience, Sakshipost gives 4.00 stars to ISM.