Why Cheat India (2019) Poster

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7/10
The movie has it's heart in the right place.
rishabhjha-2203219 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I loved the trailer So I decided to watch this one first day first show.Write from the start of the movie we get to know about Satyendra who studies whole day and night to clear The entrance exam.He worries that if He fails what will happen to his Father who has taken education loans for him.Fortunately he cracks the entrance exam with high rank.Then we met Rakesh (Emraan Hashmi). After that you need to watch the movie to know. I was a bit disappointed with the less number of audience witnessing this movie.This movie successful captures everything and dosen't shy away from exposing the education system.The Cheating mafia's ruining the life of Good students and making them write Proxy Exams for undeserving students in exchange of money,The race of admission.Everything is beautiful captured in the First half.Second half is about how Rakesh widens his wings and plans for a big scam.Here is where movie loses it's pace and makes audience confuse about certain things.But...but..but If we ignore some flaws in the second half still this movie has lot's to offer.This movie should be witnessed by every student and parent.I won't say it's a must watch but if you want to know every aspect of our Education system who should certainly watch it You won't be dissapointed. Performance wise - The guy playing Satyendra was good,Shreya was good has well But here Emraan Hashmi nails every bit of Rakesh.He is so natural that you sometimes feel sad why he is not considered has a A-listor in Bollywood. Direction - Direction by Soumik Sen could have been better in Second half Considering the fact that he is also the writer of the movie. Overall - If Simmba can be a blockbuster,Movie like Race3 can earn 100s of crores.Than this movie which suprisingly has never been attempted in Bollywood should atleast deserve a chance.Yes the movie has some flaws but you can ignore it.Please do watch it
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5/10
Emraan Hashmi is impressive. The movie ain't.
nadkarnisumeet20 January 2021
Why Cheat India review :

From smooching his female co-stars in erotic thrillers to now fixing post graduate exams, Emraan Hashmi has come a long way. His acting has tremendously improved with time and so has his choice of picking scripts. No more Murders and Zehers for him, thank you!!

At concept level, Why Cheat India offers an interesting perspective in to the widely perpetuated exam scams across India. Unfortunately, it doesn't translate in to a consistently engaging cinema.

Emraan plays Rakesh Singh, a Robinhood of sorts, who hires financially poor exam toppers to appear proxy for rich duds in the examinations. "Akalmand toh tum ho; nakalmand banoge ki nahi", he lures one such topper Sattu (Snighadeep Chatterjee) on to his payroll.

Sattu falls for the quick buck and his didi Nupur (Shreya Dhanwanthary) falls for apna Rakesh Bhai. So far so good.

Post interval, the film shifts from the small towns of Uttar Pradesh to aamchi Mumbai and degenerates in to multiple sub plots - drugs, sex, badla, dhoka...anything and everything is crammed in to the narrative while losing focus of its core theme.

It's here that the film's pace dips and dithers and a couple of situations appear confusing. Worse, the climax actually appears to encourage cheating and indulging in fraudulent practices. Maybe the reason our already conservative censors ordered a 'Why' to be added to the films title...

On the positive, the entire real life paper leak scam where answers were verbally provided in a crowded conference hall is well recreated. So is the deep political nexus behind it. That ten minute sequence is a revelation, no doubt.

Of the cast, Shreya Dhanwantary, playing Emraan's love interest, not only looks charming but also pitches in a sincere performance. And yes, Emraan bhai gets his mandatory lip-lock with her. To please his single screen fans. Oh well!

The technical aspects are strictly satisfactory - Not that great but no eeks either. Bappi Lahiri's 'Dil Mein Ho Tum' song from Vinod Khanna starrer 'Satyamev Jayate' (1987) is recreated in an average music score.

Finally, Emraan Hashmi is the film's biggest draw and he expectedly delivers a competent act. Unfortunately, 'Cheat India' gives him only a pass class. No distinction. You know 'Why'...

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.
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5/10
Touches the bar of Bhatt camp muvis but with weak music.
MuviFan7318 January 2019
The movie puts light on one of the ways of how students get into elite institutes by illegal means.

The movie offers more than that in trailer. It sets a plot that goes different from what one predicts.

The Bhatt camp is known for movies involving love story, an anti entity accompanied by great music. It is successful formula in earning up to multiple times of movie budget.

This movie however is inspired from real incidences and inclines more towards reality. Music is good not as good as other movies belonging to respective camp. Overall touches the bar of movies from Bhatt camp.

Final Verdict: It is an average business, decide yourself if to watch or not.
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7/10
Emraan Hashmi is amazing as always
faisalfaves4 May 2019
Nice direction but BGM could have been better. Emraan Hashmi acting is amazing. Story portrayed is average. Dialogues are low. One time Watch!
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7/10
Corrupt Coaching !
saptesh78628 January 2019
Why Cheat India is a good movie. It is watchable. Story goes straight start to finish linking every viewer to it. The subject is current corrupted education and coaching system for employment in India. We also can see corrupted police officer and corrupted minister as well. It is a good subject and claiming real condition of recently in India. Emraan Hashmi looks perfect in his role. Shreya Dhanwanthary is also attracting you by her noticeable acting. No much twists here except suicide of Sattu which was not fitted in the story. As me it is only for detaching of Shreya from Imraan due to him was already married. Rest movie is okay. Just go and watch.
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6/10
Promising start to befitting end!!!!!
chiragtyagi-4355821 January 2019
So this movie let me down....emraan is my fav. He disappoints with the choice of script ....lets talk about good-performance by every character is good....emraan again proves he can do any role....the debutant shines well....2.the theme and thinking of making a movie on this subject 3.1st half is well made it binds u with the serious problem of our country that is curroption in exams what's bad-direction bcz u usually get the song when serious moment is going on which disturbs the plot 2.Script the movie has very loose script and nothing much to offer 3.second half the movie has horrible second half and the movie loose it's plot after 1st half the 2nd half is utterly boring 4.climax movie has a strange climax with suspense that is good but in end emraan start the same work again what's the point???? At the end I will rate it 2.5/5 u can watch it in theatre if u r emraan fan...other wise wait for television premiere....
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3/10
Weak screenplay brings this film down.
ronakkotian5 July 2019
Honestly this movie is very disappointing. Why Cheat India had such an interesting premise that wasn't explored before but the poor writing and execution destroyed the goal it was trying to achieve.

The film tries to convey a story surrounding the corruption that occurs in the Indian education system. Emraan Hashmi is honestly the best part of Why Cheat India. He plays his role of an anti-hero really well and was the only thing that kept me invested throughout. Everyone else also gave good performances. Overall, the cast is only element that keeps this film from completely sinking.

I felt Soumik Sen's direction could have been much better. The camerawork didn't have anything interesting to it and some of the shots used are debatable. The main problem is the writing. The story felt so stretched out and made me feel very bored. If Sen had just focused on the education theme more then I think the film would have been more compelling. All the other subplots had no build up and were unnecessary. The songs were really distracting and were there to only pad out the runtime.

Why Cheat India is very disappointing. There was so much potential in giving an intriguing insight on the education system but the songs and weak screenplay made the film so boring that there was no chance of making it better.
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10/10
'My child always comes first in class', this syndrome has truly ruined everything.
Fella_shibby20 January 2019
I saw this in a theatre with my teenage son who wants to do Engineering. Since this film is focussed on the subject of education n the pressure surrounding it, I am glad I saw this with my son. The film is enlightening n entertaining. Hashmi's acting is praiseworthy. Here, he looked n acted very sober n intelligent compared to his previous glamourous roles. He is famous for two things, songs n smooches n this film does have both of em but very mildly. Hashmi shud be commended to do a movie like this which is so opposite to the regular Bollywood trash, minus the item songs (which is Hashmi's forte), minus the awful gravity defying action sequences, minus the ridiculous six pack abs, etc. Inspite of the budget, the film is very well made. The end speech in the courtroom did make some sense regarding the deserving candidate n the twist was kinda good. This film is anyday better than the awful Simmba.
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3/10
Strong concept with weak music
steffycyril2 May 2019
Clearly thr background music was not in order and not at all supportive of the evnts happened. But this movie has offered content that is much more thoughtful. Thogh his effort is noble to provide fake degrees to the rich students who are of no use to the society ,he was not able to prove it in the court.He is a person who has only thought of money in the eyes of law. The movie also is a real incident so is an inspiring story in all terms.As the early watcher has atated ,this is a predictable movie.The love story is also very cute.
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8/10
Excellent story and one of the best movies of Emraan Hashmi
bhushanrathod25 January 2019
Emaran Hashmi is the best for such kinda movies. He did his best and got a perfect role. Story line is good but lags in case of music and songs. But still must watch movie...
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3/10
GOOD CONCEPT BUT TOTALLY PATHETIC
itsmeshrivass18 January 2019
I am feeling bad for Imran Hashmi Such a good actor why you did why cheat India , such a Poor Movie Imran if you are reading this , please dont do such kind of movie you deserve better and you are a Great Actor but right now feeling bad for you .
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3/10
Little India Directory Review: Why Cheat India (3 Stars)
nairtejas18 January 2019
Education is a lucrative market in India and most people both associated and affected by it know that. Which is why amateur director Soumik Sen's drama Why Cheat India does not impress despite having its glamorous lead actor deliver one of his career's finest performances.

Known as the resident Bollywood serial-kisser, Emraan Hashmi finally sheds his loverboy threads and dresses up as an unscrupulous and sharp-toothed businessman in Why Cheat India. He plays an "examination facilitator" who - along with his small team - exploits the talent and brains of studious, rank-earning students to help those who are not (but whose parents have very deep pockets) crack entrance exams in various streams. What this unabashed exploitation does to all the parties involved is what director Sen highlights in his two-hour long repellent drama that walks on a tight rope with help only from his talented cast.

With a largely insensible plot that constantly tries to exonerate its lead character's actions by blaming the system, Why Cheat India goes on and on, showing how Hashmi's character uses his smart moves and political influence to "help" poor-rich students get a seat in the colleges of their choice not paying heed to the disaster that is becoming of the lives of the bright students who are helping him. The drama does make an effort to show what happens to these students, but I am not at all convinced with its plastic outlining. It is all too easy - or so it is shown - for Hashmi's character to pull things off, which is repeated till just before the end credits, making you feel like cheated of both money and time. And that is something you don't expect after watching a film about examination cheating.

But to give Why Cheat India some credit, it is interesting to see what goes behind the closed curtains in all those news that we read about question papers leaking and cheating racket being busted. There's some insider knowledge poured into the screenplay but even that does not make the film any interesting for its discerning audience. Thankfully, there's no side arcs that the main plot deviates to, concentrating all its focus on the single concept, which Hasmi's character frequently reminds you, he is a master of.

If we ignore such few smart-aleck actions from him, we can completely appreciate Hashmi's role and performance as this confident, fearless businessman. His glamorous appearance - all suave and shaven - is probably the best thing about Why Cheat India, entertaining his fans with rapt dialogs and mesmerizing expressions throughout. He is confident in his character and really shows that he cares for his first production venture. It wouldn't be fair for this review if I don't mention how magnificently entertaining Manuj Sharma is here, not only making you laugh but playing the role of a sidekick in all its glory. Previously seen in Secret Superstar (2017) and indie crime drama Ajji (2017), he adorns each and every sequence he is in like a cherry-top, only second to Hashmi. Newcomer Shreya Dhanwanthary and her supporting cast all do a very good job at enacting the roles without letting the shoddy writing affect them.

A little bit of respite is further brought in by occasional humor and a few sequences involving corruption in the system. It's enjoyable to some extent, but it also throws light into another big problem in the film: Why Cheat India has been made like a B-grade drama that has everything it could ask for (an item number, plenty of stereotypes, and a few more useless songs). All of which definitely does not propel its appeal to modern viewers who are tired of watching this enactment of tried and test formulas. Moreover, for a film that demands high attention to details, director Sen directs his supporting cast like a blind man. There are conspicuous errors in the sequences involving extras who are unintentionally laughing, looking at the camera, and just not "in" the scene - further validating my point about the B-gradedness. Even the courtroom sequence towards the end is made to look like a conversation between two people, which eventually turns into a sermon, all the while showing the judge take forty winks. Might have been a reference to how real-life courtroom dramas unfold in India, considering how the film often takes potshots at the Modi government, but it still looks out of place and unreliable.

Why Cheat India could have been a lot better had it focused one or two real-life episodes and really delved into its deepest point rather than just summarizing how the anti-education industry looks like. As it is now, there's no reason for you to waste your time on this. TN.

Originally appeared in the Little India Directory (Singapore).
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10/10
Go watch cheat India
arbazkhan-0156218 January 2019
Please go an watch cheat India do not listen any nagative reviews it's a awesome subject and awesome acting by Emraan sir you must have to go
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4/10
'Cheat India' merely robs audiences off their precious time....
fillerruth18 January 2019
Why Cheat India can't decide if Rocky is a hero or villain. I don't have a problem with that. What's harder to take is the inconsistent tonality and the convoluted second act. Every time you think the film has reached a climax, Soumik tacks on another end. Because Why Cheat India wants to both celebrate and punish Rocky. But that, like the hybrid of fact and fiction, needed far more imagination and audacity.

But Why Cheat India is disjointed and disappointing, never quite knowing which side it is on, even as it spends time showing us how good students can be ruined by greed, and how parents can put killing pressure on their children in their struggle to break the vicious gap between present debt and potential income.

Why Cheat India is a low-key drama that might not meet the expectations of the constituency that swears by a Rohit Shetty. What it does, and does reasonably well, is address a subject that is real in a manner that, despite its adherence to many of the broad rules of popular Hindi cinema, does not stray too far from the tangible.

The story and concept of Why Cheat India holds a lot of merit, and if the execution was the sharper and steadier, this one had the potential to graduate to another level. Even with the flaws in the story, the film and its various subjects have enough at hand to keep you entertained.

'Greed is good,' Hashmi spits the line from Oliver Stone's classic Wall Street, missing the point of how that film applauded the smoothness of the operator. Why Cheat India moralises without taking a stand. The film has three endings, indecisively shown one after the other - one of which uses a refrain to Hum Honge Kamyaab as an afterthought, pasting it on immediately after another song, diluting any potential impact. This movie doesn't appreciate trick or trickster. It takes craft to be crafty.

The film has its heart in the right place. It mirrors the ills in the education system, putting everything under the microscope. From plain copying to getting 'dummies' to write papers for wealthy brats, you get a ringside view of the paisa phenko, tamasha dekho (throw money and watch the show) syndrome. However, it's never enough for a film to just have good intention. The makers should have definitely paid more attention to the execution. Here was a golden opportunity to give us a movie that would jab us in the jaw. Instead, it falls flat.
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10/10
Subject of movie is very good
mishraaudacious19 January 2019
Movie is good and idea to bring cheating scandles in admissions and job (like SSC) openly is fantastic.
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5/10
Emraan Hashmi leads this half-researched & clumpsy film.
nilzrav200718 January 2019
Learnings: A film about a city con-man Rakesh Singh (Emraan Hashmi) into the world of education system by skillfully taking advantages of its flaws to create his own cheating mafia. He tricks intelligent students to appear on behalf of other rich but undeserving brats to fetch them their required seats in exchange for a hefty sum. Over-taken by greed, Rakesh lays a pitch-perfect ground for turning his plans into reality, only till the day when he may get trapped in his own web of immoral administration. All this sets a great premises having heart in the right place & starts off on an impressive note.

Questions Paper Difficulties (Details): Contrary to expectations, Why Cheat India turns out to have way more problems than positives; something that could have been very sharp, witty & satirical, falters at the hands of a choatic execution & muddled screenplay (the scenes seems to be running faster than Usain Bolt probably).

The actual dealings (lena-dena) turn out in quick sucessions, be it with the students, parents, politicians or the corrupt businesmen, without lending the viewers no or little time to empathize with any one character or to breath between the various jumps. Instead of really digging down the core of the whole system & exposing the malice practices of the institutions & its people, unfortunately the films tries to be too much all at once, ends up saying nothing and therefore falls flat.

Answer Sheet (Performances): As usual, Emraan Hashmi turns out the BEST part about his films. He is at ease & confident playing neither the hero nor the villain. His electrifying aura and wicked smile leads an instant connect. Shreya Dhanwanthary is sweet & puts up a nice performance, especially towards the climax. I have no idea what Shibani Bedi (the iDiva famed Punjabi girl) is doing here. Rest of the cast is simple.

Few dialogues are pretty good, but the songs & romantic track overshadow in the second half making the pace dip. By the time it shows us the big reveal, the film has already lost the momentum.

Final Result (Conclusion): With no recognisable faces or majorly entertaining moments, Director Soumik Sen who previously gave us the decent Gulaab Gang back in 2014, doesn't impress in any department whatsoever. We deserve better as an audience & Emraan as a fine actor.

Exam Score (Rating): 2.5 out of 5 It's a One-Man show (Just a Timepass)
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4/10
Movie misses its own subject, leaving us with disappointment and dissatisfaction
bhavikcoolrockstar26 January 2019
Why cheat India,is based on a amazing subject but all the glow this movie has shines in the first half and second half is more like any other pathetic love story... Firstly, I can't get why bollywood stereotypes villains, here , Emraan Hashmi is shown as a hindu who always has Tilak on forehead and prays a lot of god's..... But ok. This isn't the first time bollywood did it. It is common nowadays. Second, the first half of the movie is gripping and screenplay is also good with some nice dialogues but the film looses it's subject completely in second half Third, all actors have performed well and Shreya Dhawantary makes a good debut , Emraan Hashmi delivers some powerful dialogues amazingly. The casting is good. Four, the story and screenplay are not upto the mark. Film doesn't seem to match even half of the expectations..... Five, the direction isn't good. If could have been much better Six, the soundtrack of the movie is nice with some good songs like dil mein Ho tum and another song by jubin but it seems that movie had some unnecessary songs which didn't fit into the movie,bgm is nice Seven,the movie leaves you in confusion about which side is right Eight, Great issues about the present day education system are in the movie

On the whole, why cheat India leaves us confused and doesn't meet its aim and therefore turns out disappointing
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9/10
Something learnin.
rezaahmed-5747924 January 2019
It's a movie here you learn something. I think it's very useful specially at this time. At last great one go and enjoy.
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1/10
Time wasting & boring
awaiskamran5 February 2019
Its very boring and time wasting movie as i am fan of imran hashmi thats why i watched but seriously very disappointed
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8/10
good movie
karmjit16 May 2019
I dont know why the movie got flopped. its better than emraan hashmi usual movies. he gives quite good performance in this movie. the concept is good and well treated. i dont know why such a good movie got flopped. it deserves to be atleast average or hit. anyway its a nice movie. enjoy for the good performances and entertainment.
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1/10
Could Have Been A Better Movie.
aatishp-2700417 May 2022
This will not make a better system. Truth and genuine people , students will go in the wrong direction. Instead our system becoming a True System, will become more corrupt. I think, Great movies like Sarfarosh - Aamir Khan. Singham - Ajay Devgan, Dabang salman khan who were Fair True Supports of our system is a better fine or a great movie. The plot of this movie is supporting more corrupt practices than removing corruption from our society. Instead of corrupt Actor , Hero A Fine Actor like Imran Hashmi should be a supporter And A Fair Genuine Actor like I mentioned above in films like Nayak of Anil Kapoor Etc. I am Sure Good Actor imran hashmi Will make A True Genuine Ethical Actor in Future Films never doing corrupt role which he did in this movie. Hope to see True Genuine Films From The Great Film maker's Bhatt and Good Actor Imran hashmi.
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2/10
CRAP
AMOGHREVIEWS9 November 2023
Bad Or Poorly Made Films Are Common In Bollywood Or Any Other Film Industry In The World, But There Are Some Movies Which Are So Pathetic That You Don't Forget Them Till The Last Day Of Your Life... "Why Cheat India" Is One Such Film... It Had A Superb Subject In Hand & Could've Been An Inspiring Take On Competitive Exams Like 3 Idiots, Super 30, Chhichhore, Kota Factory Or Aspirants, But It Badly Fails In Execution Department & Ends Up Being An Unconvincing Fare... Emraan Hashmi Like Always Has Given His 100%, But No Actor Can Rise Above The Script... The First Half Is Somewhat Less Frustrating, But Second Half Is A Major Disappointment... AVOID!
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10/10
Reality of Indian education system.
animesh-83498 October 2019
Excellent performances. True picture of Indian education system. Must watch for people from every walk of life.
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1/10
Munde disturbing content
laxmienglegamesame28 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Mind disturbing movie for students.don't watch They try to cover everything without any logic.
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10/10
True Images of educational system of india
rishlove18 January 2019
This movie portrait true face of education system of India. basically this movie is must watch bcz its educate you and also for the brilliance performance Emraan Hashmi. He Is just outstanding
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