With Genius, director Anil Sharma is back to his favourite genre – patriotic, action films.
The film stars Anil's son, Utkarsh Sharma, the boy who played Tara Singh's (Sunny Deol) son in the blockbuster Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001).
Going by the film's trailer, Genius appears like an entertainment drama made on a high budget. However, the trailer not only lacks appeal, but also makes the film look superfluous.
As far as the story is concerned, Utkarsh’s character is a student in college. Besides being a genius, specialising in science, he also manages to win his classmate's (Ishita Chauhan) heart. Now, enters the dangerous villain (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who is up to no good. Siddiqui's sophisticated-yet-foul-mouthed villain is all set to harm the country and the intelligent youngster is India's only hope.
While it is not fair to judge a film by its trailer, the three-minute long clip barely has anything interesting to offer. Apart from Siddiqui’s menacing act, there’s nothing worth liking in what we see of Genius here.
Serious dialogues, like "Dil se main khelta nahin aur dimaag se khelne deta nahin [I don't play with my heart and I won't let you play with your mind]", sound clichéd and funny instead. Even the romantic dialogues, like "Mehenga hoon lekin aap ke liye toh muft mein bik jaunga [I don't sell for cheap but will be free of cost only for you]", sound more like belonging to films from the 1990s.
Utkarsh looks handsome but lacks acting skills. Ishita Chauhan, who makes her film debut, doesn’t impress either.
Watch the trailer: