The Holi song has almost become a synonym with romantic escapades in Hindi films, or for the hero's entry. It serves for the latter in Anil Sharma's Genius. The song 'Holi Biraj Ma' is composed by Himesh Reshammiya, and sung by Jubin Nautiyal, but lacks energy, colour or anything quirky to keep you excited about it.
The song begins with a Holi celebration in what appears to be Varanasi, but with a Gujarati twist. As Utkarsh Sharma leads the holi celebrations, the visuals are dominated by explosions of colour. So much so, that at times it becomes difficult to find the actor in the midst of all that crowd and colour.
Despite the presence of colours, the visuals do not make any impressive effect. The choreography, by Rekha Chinni Prakash, is also a tad disappointing. The moves are staple, and lack some energy. Perhaps it is the rawness of Utkarsh, but it looks like the actor might need a little more work on his moves.
But the song is not all bad. Reshammiya taps into this very Holi number with some elegant touches. However, the music fails to rise from being just a fairly melodic dance number. The lack of any innovative touches to the staple style of arrangements does not help either. Nautiyal's voice is fresh, but remains underutilised. The lyrics, by Manoj Muntashir, is another mediocre element that drags the song down.
Genius is directed by Anil Sharma, and marks the debut of Utkarsh and Ishita Khanna. The film will be released on 24 August.
Watch the song below: