Why Cheat India Movie Review : An entertaining but flawed look at the mafia that promotes cheating during college exams

Why Cheat India Story: Rakesh Singh (Emraan Hashmi) runs a business that allows education scams to flourish in the country. He enrols bright students into his plan, makes them write proxy exams for students who are unable to score or pass, and then, helps them procure a fake degree. This story revolves around one such boy, Sattu (Snigdhadeep Chatterjee), who dreams of a better life, and in turn, falls prey to Rakesh’s scheming plan.

Why Cheat India Review: A wise man once said that innocence is thought charming because it offers delightful possibilities for exploitation. Why Cheat India, is based on the education system of India, where gullible students and their desperate parents fall into the trap of cheating, to secure a seat in their desired college. An opportunistic Rakesh Singh aka Rocky (Emraan) sweet talks impressionable students and lures them to a world of crime with money. He uses academic achievers to write papers on behalf of other students (the supposedly lesser smart ones) and exploits several other loopholes at the college examination level. He’s the classic anti-hero and his story of crime and corruption highlights a plethora of problems and malpractices that currently plague our education system. Director Soumik Sen’s scathing look at the exam paper mafia and the mind-set of Indian parents often treating their children as ‘investments for the future’ is relevant, but the way he tells this gritty story, doesn’t merit top grade.

The story is based in rural locations like Jaunpur, Kota and Jhansi, where the pressure on the youth to be engineers, doctors and MBA students, is probably far more than what students face in urban cities. As Rakesh Singh’s ambition to be a kingpin of exam mafia unfolds, the viewer gets to witness the kind of nexus that misuses and exploits bright students, and how this is of the biggest scams running in the country. Insights from this world of murky morals and malpractices, has high shock value and that’s what makes the premise of Why Cheat India, quite relevant. But, writer-director Soumik Sen isn’t able to give the narrative the kind of edge and finesse that it deserves. Many scenes from the film feel disjointed, owing to the choppy editing and inconsistent screenplay. Certain situations in the film, like Sattu’s blind trust on Rakesh, despite being aware that he’s just another spoke in Rocky’s business wheel, doesn’t make any sense. Rocky’s personal story, doesn’t add much depth to the plot. The second half throws up some surprises and twists, heightening the drama in the plot.

What does pass with distinction is Emraan Hashmi’s performance as the wily and confident, Rakesh. The actor pulls it off in every frame with assurance and ease. Even though most of his lines are like a series of punches clamouring for claps, Emraan’s charm and intensity keeps you hooked. The fresh faces of Shreya Dhanwantary and Snigdhadeep Chatterjee are perfectly cast in the roles of naïve characters.

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.