'ISM' touted to be a hard-hitting entertainer out to make journalists feel proud is out.  Here we give a thorough sneak analysis of the movie.

Story:

Kalyan Ram (Kalyan Ram) is an illegal fighter in an island somewhere on the other side of the planet. As a first Puri ritual, he falls in love with the girl (Aditi Arya as Alia Khan), co-incidentally bumps into her again, and warns her that he will forcefully tie the knot if she ever crosses his path in future.

Javed Ibrahim (Jagapathi Babu) is her dreaded don-father, yearning for Karim bidis for a change.  Kalyan Ram offers Javed bhai 'moksha' by giving him one.  Javed bhai gifts him a 'shayari' with which the lover boy wins over Alia Khan, who from now onwards will pine for the remarkable madness of our hero.

OK, anyone who goes to watch the film with an idea of Kalyan Ram's character would know it's all a trap to finish Javed bhai off.  So, the interval bang got to be about the shock of a lifetime for him even while unleashing the other, glorious shade of the hero's character.  Sathya Marthand aka Kalyan Ram as the owner of a Wikileaks-type Grand Leakage is India's Julian Assange, Sri Sri-enriched journo, gutsy Telugu cinema hero - everything rolled into one.

The fight for black money starts and it's all to do with technology and gravity-defying fights as the entire state machinery is helpless against our hero.

Analysis:

You share a Facebook poster on how black money should be transferred directly into your bank account and they will make a movie out of it.  Here is a film wherein the politician, putting a serious expression on his face, orders the cop to hang the fearsome journalist.  It's the government that gives death sentence.  What an education!

As our six packs-strong journalist-hero chews on the pen, he and friends hack into the accounts of Bank of Paradise.  Our heroine owns and manages this Bank when she is not doing things like trying to get rid of the harassing lover boy with the help of a boxer-friend.  And none can touch our hero as he has intercepted even the PM's calls.

Between the don-daughter duo arguing and the lover girl bonding with the hero's parents, the ground is being prepared to solve the problems of 1.3 billion Indians.  All that you need to have is a bank account.  An Aadhar number in addition will be even better.

And the modus operandi?  What is it?  Every time you look for detailing or commonsense, remember that 'ISM' is allegedly a tribute to journalism, Puri-style.  Remember that you are a lesser mortal because you only say 'Nallodu' whereas Puri unabashedly calls them 'Nalla na kodukulu'.

Puri's irreverent style of dialogue-writing has won him many fans.  Every time he doles out a formulaic hero versus villain film, he recompenses through unconventional language, complete with quirks.  The idiosyncrasies of Puri's characters, especially of the hero, gloss over the fallacies for many.  'ISM' is no exception and in presenting an unrealistic saviour, he offers a kind of escapist fare for a section of audience.

It's inconceivable why Jagapathi Babu's character was rendered inconsequential in the second half, especially after projecting him as the main villain in the first half.

After a point, the heroine's pining looks over-indulgent.

Posani Krishna Murali as a corrupt politician is there to elicit laughs.  He is at his usual self and does it with ease.

As for the performances, this is Kalyan Ram's career-best performance.  He is convincing both looks-wise and delivers the lines confidently.  Being a Puri hero is quite difficult and prone to comparisons.  One hopes he will emerges victorious despite all that.  It's not an enviable debut for Aditi Arya; her looks may be a mixed response.  Jagapathi Babu does a so-so job as a don with a soft villain-ish demeanor.   He doesn't leave a strong impact, though.  Among others, Tanikella Bharani and others fit the bill.

Anoop Rubens' music (especially, 'Ela Ela Ela' and 'Kanulu Navaina') work big-time.  The BGM is a plus.  Mukesh G's cinematography passes muster.

Verdict:

A hero vs villain entertainer done on a template, and to cater to a section of escapism-lovers.  Puri's fans will love the hero's characterization and dialogues.  Kalyan Ram's best-ever performance.  Outrage over black money is cinematic, impractical.  A gripping screenplay around the hero's modus operandi would have helped.  Action sequences should have been innovative.  The climax works for many.