This Friday movie theatres will be witness to the Battle of chicanery. While Govinda plays a conman and fake Godman in Pahlaj Nihalani’s Rangeela Raja, Emraan Hashmi plays the professional hustler of the academic world in Why Cheat  India. And then there is Arshad Warsi as the man cheating women into multiple marriages in Fraud Saiyyan.

 “It’s all about frauds and con-men this Friday. A reflection of our times,” says Nihalani. He feels the mood is right for films on fraudulence. “If you look at the amount of news space Vijay Mallya or Nirav Modi command, you will see that everyone at some level aspires to get rich by hook or by crook. I think the films this week celebrate that spirit of immoral acquisition,” he thinks.

Sadly, movie theatres don’t seem to share Nihalani’s enthusiasm. A source from a multiplex chain sees “zero interest” in Rangeela Raja and Fraud Saiyyan.

“There is some interest in Why Cheat India because it has to do with the educational system of the country and T Series is marketing the film well.  But all the leading men of the three releases this week - Emraan Hashmi, Govinda and Arshad Warsi - have no market.  The films come without any star value. Only the content will help them survive,” the source believes.