Why Cheat India movie review: Emraan Hashmi’s film lacks in several departments

I want to request the film board to issue a new disclaimer stating, ‘We have not read and approved the screenplay even once before investing and making this masterpiece, so please enter the theatres at you own risk.’ I am still confused what was this film trying to say. Was the protagonist against cheating? Was he for it? Was he questioning our education system? Not a single question was answered in the two hours. So what was it? Chalo batata hu.

Not getting into the storyline because I am sure not even the makers can tell you what that is, it’s just all over the place. I was 14 when I saw and loved Jannat, today I saw a desi revised version of it with a few things more leading to nothing. But this time it isn’t cricket that he bids on, it’s our education system. Remember by the end Sonal Chauhan helping cops to arrest him in Jannat, it’s SAME here. He gets into the cheating business so much so that he calls a big conference of parents and leaks and dictates the MBA papers without anyone knowing it and the joke is on us.

I went in expecting a plot regarding the cheating scams that we hear about happening in our education system, especially in some parts of the North that are notorious for it and that’s where the film is set too. Now the film starts with what was promised – with the scam happening and the students involved in it – and sets the base right. Also the set design, costumes look authentic. But by the time it reaches the second half, it completely takes a wrong turn and gets into romance then again into cheating then someone taking revenge and ending into a court room drama which leads to Emraan getting out of jail in some time and again doing what he did when the film begun.

You see the displacement basically is zero and so is my understanding of this film. Out of context, two romantic songs and a random kiss are thrown at you and it looks like the director thought ‘Emraan ko liya hai toh romantic songs aur ek kiss to banti hai‘. Also there is a small drug addiction angle.

About the the acting performances, Emraan is the same from Jannat but in formals and a moustache this time. There is something about the new Emraan though. He is likeable in everything he does and holds you, I liked his work. Just to give his character a layer he has infinite photo frames of gods and goddesses in his office and always has prasad in his pocket. Snighdeep Chatterjee plays Sattu as he is supposed to and looks the part. Shreya Dhanwanthary is the one who seems to have made the most effort throughout. Also there is Manoj Sharma and debutanat Shibani Bedi who gets to play her iDiva wali aunty character for a longer stretch but is entertaining and funny.

By the end Emraan’s character Rakesh, his father and a random politician are having a conversation in jail which itself is the spoof of this film and tells you that even they haven’t taken this film seriously so you shouldn’t even try. These are still the major ones, I am not even getting into the smaller points that this film makes you suffer through. And now if you still think I will recommend if you should watch or not, do you really want me to say that.

PS: In the end the screen flashes that ‘In a survey 50 percent students admit to cheating in IIT-BOMBAY’. I’m eager who are those students admitting on record and does IIT-BOMBAY know about this survey.

PPS: I don’t know what made the makers do this, but while a class is going on and attendance is being taken a student is named TANUJ GARG. We got ya!