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Meet 'Genius' star Utkarsh Sharma!

Utkarsh Sharma on working with his father, director Anil Sharma, and why nepotism is not such a bad thing

Remember that little sardar (Sikh) boy who played Sunny Deol and Amisha Patel's son in 2001 film, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha? Well, this little boy is now all grown up, and he is making his debut in his dad Anil Sharma's film, Genius.
Utkarsh Sharma, however, is no stranger to Bollywood. The former child actor has been assisting his father since his young days. When he was just 7 years old, he made his first appearance in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. He then went on to assist his father behind the scenes in the film, Veer. Alongside Utkarsh, another former child actor, Ishita Chauhan, will be making her first appearance as a lead actress. In the action thriller Genius,  Utkarsh works for RAW as a spy. Burdened by the killing of his entire team, he hatches a 'genius' plan to avenge the death of his comrades.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Mithun Chakraborty play important roles in the film. City Times caught up with the promising actor to know more about the film, how it was working with his father and his thoughts on nepotism. Excerpts from the interview.
Can you tell us a bit about Genius and your role in the film.
The movie is about a battle between two geniuses. I play a small-town kid with a brilliant mind who is raised by priests. My character has a very sharp mind and a very high IQ level. He believes in God as much as he does in science. He embodies both, the culture of India and the modernism of the current world. At the age of 21, he is hired by RAW to work as an agent. He then gets embroiled in a battle of wits with another genius (played by Nawazzuddin) - lots of mind games, thrilling action and romance follows.
How was it working with your father?
I've worked with him as a child actor in Gadar... I've also assisted him in Veer. So, I was already familiar with his work ethic - he's a task master. He works 48 hours at a stretch and expects everyone to keep up with him. I knew what was in store for me in this movie. He was going to make me work very hard, but I relished it. Having got the opportunity, I was delighted to work under him as I knew I would have a lot of space for improvisation. We were very professional on set and he treated me like any other actor. The whole process was very collaborative.
Nepotism has been a hotly debated topic in the industry. What are your thoughts on the matter?
I think it's a fair debate. There's nothing wrong in it. If there are people (who have family members) in the industry who are passionate about films, shouldn't they get a chance? Is that illegal? Because I'm genuinely passionate about films. That's all I've been doing since my childhood. I've worked a lot behind the scenes. I feel that in any industry, if you have a family member, it will help you get a role, but ultimately, you have to fulfill that role, that's my responsibility. I have to live up to it!
What was it like working with Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Mithun Chakraborthy?
I learnt a lot from them. Mithun Da and Nawaz Sir are both actors of the highest order. The one common thing about them is that they are very grounded despite their fame and achievements. Something that Nawaz Sir always did, if he was on set for 12 hours, he would be working on his nuances, his dialogues and his body language. Seeing him work so hard, really fires you up.
Any particular actor who inspires you?
Yes, I'm inspired by the veteran actor, Dilip Kumar. I truly believe that the kind of cinema he did at that time (in the 50's and 60's) is relevant even today. His acting was so natural and organic, I don't know how we've forgotten to act like that. His body of work can be compared with the likes of greats like Marlon Brando or James Dean. I believe he was an actor of incredible class and I've seen his movies and monologues multiple times. Every time I watch his movies, I find something new to learn from him. 
What's next? Any new projects coming up?
Well, right now, I'm in talks with people and hopefully in a couple of weeks I can share some good news with everyone.
 
Neha Mahamood
neha@khaleejtimes.com