Shreya Dhanwanthary cast in Cheat India opposite Emraan Hashmi

The newest entrant to Hindi cinema is actress Shreya Dhanwanthary. She joins the Republic Day release Cheat India as a small-town girl opposite actor-producer Emraan Hashmi. The film, directed by Soumik Sen, explores improper practices employed by educational institutions.

The news of Dhanwanthary’s casting was announced today (3 August) by the makers of the film on Twitter.

Dhanwanthary has grown up in the Middle East and lived abroad for most her life before she shifting to India. She beat out 50 other actresses for the role and has already completed nine days of filming.

Incidentally, the actress has a degree in engineering. “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 told the daily tabloid Mumbai Mirror.

The actress has been acting since age four and has worked in theatre. Dhanwanthary earlier acted in the television show, The Reunion…Jab They Met Again. She has also learnt dance forms like Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi and Kathak.

Cheat India is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Tanuj Garg, Atul Kasbekar and Emraan Hashmi and is due to be released on 25 January 2019 alongside Kangana Ranaut's Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi and Hrithik Roshan's Super 30.