It is based on our revenge on the Aussie attacks. This film is the ultimate punishment for the Australians… those so-and-sos who have been maltreating our hapless students who go to the foreign land to garner education and come back black and blue.

Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt have often confessed that newspaper headlines citing a burning issue have sown the seeds of a movie in their minds. And Crook: It's Good To Be Bad, directed by the talented Mohit Suri, deals with one such issue: Racism in Australia .

Well, depiction of racism on the Hindi screen isn't entirely new, since I – Proud to Be an Indian explored the issue several months ago. In fact, the issue has only got aggravated across the globe post 9/11. A movie like Crook holds a lot of significance because the troubles of Indian students in Australia continue to hit headlines to this day.

Known for high concept movies, Bhatt brothers' new outing Crook, unluckily, tackles the issue weakly. Sure, you expect more from the Bhatts, but the problem with Crook is that the message doesn't come across strongly. That's because it tries to strike a balance between a love story and the racism issue. In fact, it takes a really long time to catch the racism issue and when it does, it doesn't leave a stunning impact. In fact, it's all superficial. Also, the Bhatts are synonymous with lilting music in movie after movie, but unlike their earlier attempts, the music of Crook lacks the quality to remain in your memory.

Crook tells the story of Jai (Emraan Hashmi), who has a knack of getting into trouble. His father was a gangster who wanted to reform, but was killed by the cops. When Jai grows up, Joseph (Gulshan Grover), a friend of his father, sends him to Australia - a land far away from his past.

Almost instantly after landing, Jai meets Suhani (Neha Sharma), an Indian Australian. Her elder brother Samarth (Arjan Bajwa) is convinced that Australians have a one-point agenda to bring Indians down. Jai finds accommodation with a group of youngsters (Mashhoor Amrohi).

Jai knows that if he can make Suhani fall in love with him, he could eventually attain permanent residency by marrying her. Jai also flirts with Nicole, the stripper from a strip club. However, her brother, Russel, is against Indians and attacks them for a reason. Jai had left India to lead a hassle free life, but finds himself in the heart of a racially disturbed city.

Frankly, you expect the writer to come to the point at the very beginning. Instead, he tends to focus on the romance between the lead pair, songs and comedy, while the core issue (racism) takes a complete backseat towards the first hour. The writer ought to know that this one's an issue-based movie and the romance-song-comedy routine cannot be the main concern.

Crook redeems itself in the second hour, but it has more to do with Mohit Suri's handling of the subject than the subject itself. However, one fails to recognize why the Australian guy has a change of heart, when he zeroes on Neha towards the end. There should've been at least one sequence to clear things up. But in this case, no explanations are forthcoming.

There's no denying that Mohit Suri is talented of much more, but the ordinary script doesn't really provide him the wings to fly. Pritam's music is of 'run of the mill' variety, with 'Chhala' being the pick of the lot.

Emraan Hashmi is capable, giving his all to the role. He looks aggressive when required and expresses helplessness well, when he turns his back on Neha at the interval point. Neha acts superbly. The confidence is visible in several sequences. Gulshan Grover is almost not there. Mashhoor Amrohi leaves a mark. Arjan Bajwa is fair. Smilee Suri appears in a cameo. The Australian actors are good.

In general, Crook is an average film. It lacks the power that one associates with an issue-based film.