Meet the B.Tech graduate who is gearing up to expose malpractices in the education system on the big screen
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 3, 2018)

After the surprise casting of Manav Kaul opposite Vidya Balan in Tumhari Sulu, the makers of Cheat India have now zeroed in on Shreya Dhanwanthary as Emraan Hashmi’s leading lady in the Soumik Sen directorial which looks at startling crimes in the Indian education system. The actress, who was selected from 50-odd aspirants, has finished nine-days of shoot in Lucknow. “Emraan is warm, kind and helpful. There’s a great banter going on which helps build up the relationship on-screen,” Shreya points out, adding the workshops and readings they did as part of their prep also helped. “We are having a blast and everyone’s horrified by how much I can eat,” she laughs, revealing she’s waiting for her day off so she can binge on the ever-enticing street food.

She plays a simple small-town girl who’s very different from the real Shreya. “I grew up in the Middle East and lived in seven countries before shifting base to India for higher studies as my father works in aviation. I come with a decent amount of experience as I’ve been acting since I was four and have trained in theatre and dance, including Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi and Kathak,” she reveals.

The actress has a B.Tech degree and ironically, her first film produced by Bhushan Kumar, Tanuj Garg, Atul Kasbekar and Emraan showcases the malpractices in engineering and other institutes in India. “I could identify with the story because while I was studying, we had a subject called Radio and Television in which we were still being taught about cathode ray tube TVs at a time of flat screens and LED TVs. There are many more issues like the admission process, lack of teachers and invigilators among others,” she signs off.