Genius Movie Review: Utkarsh Sharma's Debut Film Is Anything But 'Genius'!

Recommended Video

'Yahan sauda nahin, sanskaar hote hain aur woh bhi antim,' as Utkarsh Sharma's character Vaasu tries to intimidate a traitor officer into commiting suicide by telling him these lines, you find yourself chuckling with laughter instead. Wait, there are many such moments in Genius, which simply make you wonder why this film even existed in the first place! Trust me, you need to be a real 'genius' to sit through the tacky dialogues, which are dropped like bombs throughout the film.

Genius begins with a botched mission in Porbandar that leaves RAW special agent Vasudev aka Vasu Shastri (Utkarsh Sharma) crippled. But, the man still has patriotism running in his veins, so much so that he even chases a speeding convoy on a bicycle with a limping foot to correct an upside down tricolor on a politician's car. After being labelled 'incompetent' by his seniors, Vasu decides to take the matter in his own hands and complete his unfinished mission.

But before that, the film goes flashback and drops us into the IIT campus because hello, our hero is supposed to be a genius, right? So, he needs to be a part of one of the prestigious institutes of the country. Meanwhile, all those boys who grouse over the lack of love life in engineering colleges, Genius is here to shatter the myth. It's love at first sight for Utkarsh when his eyes meet that of Nandini (Ishita Chauhan). He begins his prem-leela to woo the leading lady. But sorry, hard luck bro! With his heart broken by the woman of his dreams, Vasu finally decides to join RAW. Little is he aware that his life is set to take a drastic turn with the entry of his nemesis MRS (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who too considers himself a genius, but a mad one.

While Anil Sharma's Genius may sound thrilling on paper, it is reduced to mockery when translated on screen. Remember how Abbas-Mustan went wrong with 'Machine'? Anil's latest directorial venture too falls in the same trap. The plot is devoid of logic and the screenplay wobbles throughout the film. The director tries to pack in too many elements in this potboiler. But, none of them strike a chord. The over-the-top dialogues add more to the mess.

Utkarsh Sharma's launch pad turns out to be a damp squib with its messy plot. The young lad's shoulders ain't sturdy enough to carry the burden of this mess. Right from solving a Ribik cube to deactivating a bomb to chanting vedic mantras and pumping bullets, he is our own version of Superman! Ishika Chauhan adds just to the glam quotient. It's disheartening to watch a talent like Nawazuddin Siddiqui hamming to his fullest. The actor looks as confused as the audience. Mithun Chakraborty and Ayesha Jhulka suffer from underwritten roles.

Thankfully, when the acting and direction fails, the picturesque locations are at least appealing to the eyes. Genius has some good music but the songs have been misplaced and act merely as fillers.

There's a dialogue in the film which goes like, 'Dil Se Main Khelta Nahin, Aur Dimaag Se Khelne Deta Nahin.' Sadly, neither Genius succeeds over winning your hearts nor it's food for your grey cells. Stay away from this fare to keep your sanity intact. I am going with one star.