Release date: 28 DEC 2012
		123telugu.com Rating : 2.75/5
		Director : Ohmkkar
		Producer : Dasari Kiran Kumar
		Music Director : Joshua Sridhar
		Starring : Havish, Sanusha

TV Host Ohmkkar’s directorial venture ‘Genius’ has released across the world today. The film’s story has been written by Chinnikrishna and Joshua Sridhar has composed the music. The film has been produced by Dasari Kiran Kumar and Havish is the hero. Tamil Star Sarath Kumar is seen in a crucial role in the movie.

Story :

The story of Genius revolves around Politics, Cricket and Films – three very influential activities in our current society. Nivas (Havish) is the son of a priest (Suman). From a very young age, he is inspired by MLA Nanaji (Pradeep Rawat) and wants to become a leader. He also has two friends, Yaasir and Jeeva. Yaasir is a fan of a cricket player Nizamuddin (Adarsh) , while Jeeva is a die hard fan of film star Peddapuram Peda Babu (Ashish Vidyardhi).

All three of them realize that their idols are nothing but selfish people who can do anything and everything for their personal interests. While Nanaji and Peda Babu betray the trust placed in them by their fans, Nizamuddin betrays the country for his selfish gains.

Nivas, Yaasir and Jeeva decide to extract vengeance for the betrayal and they turn violent. Special Officer Sarath Chandra (Sarath Kumar) is brought in by Home Minister JP (Jayaprakash Reddy) to thwart their attempts.

The rest of the story is about whether Nivas, Yaasir and Jeeva succeed in fulfilling their objective.

Plus Points :

Sarath Kumar has delivered a nice and powerful performance in the film and he tries his best to liven up proceedings. Brahmanandam entertains to a certain extent with a cameo appearance as Pandu, a dance fanatic.

Havish has done well during the serious episodes of the movie, but he has carried just one single expression throughout the film. Sanusha looks good in the movie as Sri, Havish’s love interest. Ashish Vidyardhi and Pradeep Rawat have done a decent job. Happy Days fame Adarsh looked quite stylish as cricketer Nizamuddin.

Basic concept and intention of the film is laudable. Anita Hassanandani sizzles in one item number and Scarlett Wislon.

Minus Points :

Poor direction, lackluster screenplay and many illogical sequences spoil this movie. There are many loose ends in the plot – For eg, the way the celebrities have been kidnapped has not been shown convincingly. They are just snatched away with ease.

There are too many songs in the first half and they all come in at very wrong moments, disrupting the flow of the film.

A lot of prominent actors like Nagababu, Annapoorna, K. Vishwanadh etc have been wasted in poorly etched roles that have no meaning.

There is no logical flow in narration and one gets the feeling that the director completely lost the plot. There are too many distractions like a badly conceived romantic track between Nivas and Sri.

There is no emotional intensity in the sequences where the revenge killings take place.

Ohmkkar’s justification in the end for using the title ‘Genius’ is neither credible nor logical.

Technical Aspects:

Cinematography is ok. Editing could have been better. Joshua Sridhar’s music is below par and he fails to make an impression with the background score as well.

Ohmkkar fails as a director and his handling of the plot leaves a lot to be desired.

Verdict :

Genius is a movie that has been let down by bad execution. The basic concept and the message that the film tried to convey are laudable, but they fail to make an impact here. Except for Sarath Kumar’s performance and Brahmanandam’s funny cameo appearance, there is nothing in this film.

123telugu Rating – 2.75/5

Reviewed by Emmess