Genius Movie Review: Utkarsh Sharma and Nawazuddin Siddiqui's action thriller is a fake patriotism exercise

Film: Genius

Genre: Action-Drama-Thriller

Cast: Utkarsh Sharma, Ishita Chauhan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Mithun Chakraborty 

Direction: Anil Sharma

Duration: 2 hours, 45 minutes

Language: Hindi (U/A)

Critic’s Rating: 1.5/5 

Story:

Vasudev Shastri (Utkarsh) is an orphan, but more importantly, he is an IIT genius. This master hacker, who grows up in the land of Krishna, is a patriot and a lover of another order. His only two weaknesses in life are his desh-bhakti and his prem for a cat-eyed woman called Nandini (Ishita). He can lay down his life for both. When his path crosses that of another genius, MRS (Nawaz), who is an ISI operative, you are led to believe that you will be witness to some engaging patriot games. Alas... 

Review:

Genius is a bad film. And, you do not even know where to start/stop your fault-finding exercise. Should one fault the love of father-filmmaker Anil Sharma who has spent crores making this launch vehicle for his son Utkarsh? Should people sue when industry sorts thrust their kin down the throat of an unsuspecting audience? Or should you fault this whole fake patriotism exercise that filmmakers are engaging in squeeze blood/tears out of you?

Honestly, so much could still have been done with this cat-and-mouse RAW agent v/s ISI operative ‘s@@t’, if people had (even dispassionately) treated like a true film. Frankly, the premise had promise. It talks of two geniuses – one good, one bad – in a combat. But the whole treatment is tripe. Who on earth wrote this script? It is convoluted, confusing, contradictory, corrosive, clunky, choppy and crappy.

So, the young boy loves his nation and he loves some newbie with light eyes. She changes clothes faster than she changes expressions. And, though the boy is sincere, with a disarming smile it is his filmmaker-father's fault for believing that betaji can be made to do everything under the sun. So, the whole movie is treated like an 80s showreel, where star fathers who were launching their sons had a template. Sample this: the hero fights, rides, sings, dances and in this case, he also hacks!!!! Had Anil not burdened the youngster with so many responsibilities, we may have been able to witness some quality acting, something endearing. But no such luck.

Nawazuddin is terrible. You can clearly see he collected his cheque and forgot to deliver a performance. Ditto, Mithun Chakraborty. Both have some dialoguebaazi that keeps you in splits though the intention is to send shivers down your spine. Most of the film is unintentionally funny because your reactions are the exact opposite of what the situation on screen demands. And, in the end you are weeping, not for the desh-bhakt hero, his fractured love story or any such thing, but because you are relieved that this faux exercise in patriotism is over. 

Verdict: Will not risk recommending this one!