Film: Why Cheat India
Date: 18.01.2019
Writer/ Director: Soumik Sen
Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Shreya Dhanwanthary
For some weeks now the film has been surrounded by controversies related to its title and also to the release date of the film. Finally, it is all sorted out and the movie has made it to the cinema halls. Originally titled Cheat India is about the corruption prevailing in our education system. About middle-class families who pressurize their children with their dreams of grand degrees and grander pay packets. A film about big scams where engineering and medical certificates are bought sold for a price – all in the open!
All those issues that we have read in the newspapers or watched on television about collective cheating in examination halls, about supervisors demanding bribes, university scam, coaching class scam, fake identities, question paper leakage and the biggest tragedy of all, student suicide are reflected in the film, the unfortunate bit is that it leaves you untouched!
It is because the screenplay is ineffective and the treatment monotonous. The film drags in the first half without any twists or turns. There are no sub-plot and almost no supporting cast for distraction, as a result, the camera single-mindedly follows the protagonist for 2 hours 20 minutes which is a rather long time to only focus on Emraan Hashmi.
Post interval, there are new students, new degrees and new scams but they fail to engage you despite good music and decent dialogues. Certain moments in the film disturb you:
1. It is understandable that students are getting lured by money and losing focus but does it always have to be about women and drugs?
2. Is it logical that an outside trespasses the examination center and standing in the middle of the ground threatens to burn all the answer sheets of the students?
- Is it possible that after the police have raided and arrested the hero for stacking a room full of currency he can be casually taken home by a minister? Don’t politicians have to sign any documents?
- Hero Rocky/ Emraan Hashmi books a party hall in a 7 Star Hotel and to a room full of students and parents announces answers to the question paper on microphone and no case is registered against him by the hotel or anyone.
- The ease with which Emraan Hashmi walks in and out of police stations and the arrogance he displays during the court proceeding is both embarrassing and humiliating to our judicial system.
One last bit, Emraan Hashmi does not kiss his leading lady/ Shreya Dhanwanthary in this film. Shreya bends to drop a soft and suggestive kiss to her hero.
For cheating us audience I rate Why Cheat India with 1 star.
Bhawana Somaaya