Arshad Warsi and Saurabh Shukla are two very dependable actors who can make even a bad scene watchable. They may not give a film a Rs 100 crore opening weekend, but their acting range is better than many of the Instagram-hit stars in the industry. It is unfortunate that Bollywood can't afford to give them many movies that are worth their talents. A Jolly LLB comes by once in a blue moon, but mostly we get stuck with travesties like this week's release, Fraud Saiyaan. Will Emraan Hashmi's Film Why Cheat India Beat Arshad Warsi's Fraud Saiyaan and Govinda's Rangeela Raja at the Box Office?

Stuck for some years (the shoot was reportedly completed in 2014), Fraud Saiyaan finally gets a release in 2019. Directed by Sourabh Shrivastava, the movie is based on real-life incidents that happened in Uttar Pradesh. The state (a favourite venue for Bollywood in the past couple of years) also gives the setting for Fraud Saiyaan's morally corrupt protagonist to search for his prey.

Bhola (Arshad Warsi) is a conman who marries well-off women in various towns in UP and exploits them for their money. He has a knack of making any woman fall under his charm with his quick wit, although the half-witted women he marries also make his task easy. Even when he is caught for his philandering, the paradoxically-named Bhola manages to get out of the knot with his puppy appeal. His life changes thanks to a train journey to Varanasi that gets him acquainted to Chaurasia (Saurabh Shukla), a private detective. Chaurasia, unbeknownst to Bhola, is also the uncle of one of his wives.

Chaurasia tries to get Bhola caught red-handed by two of his wives and the police, but Bhola manages to get out of the situation with ease. Determined to trap him, Chaurasia convinces Bhola to take him as his disciple, as the latter goes on to lure more women with his schemes, with his latest victim being a recently widowed Payal (Sara Loren).

Fraud Saiyaan is produced by the socially conscious film-maker Prakash Jha, but the comedy itself lacks any kind of conscience. A flawed lead with grey shades is a refreshing change among the hordes of moralistic, nationalistic screen heroes that we are being bombarded in the past few months. However, what's not right is the unapologetic tone the movie takes in covering his misdemeanours. Fraud Saiyaan Teaser: Arshad Warsi Is a Conman Who Marries Multiple Women In This Comedy.

Look-wise, Fraud Saiyaan doesn't look dated, unlike Warsi's last film Bhaiaji Superhit, and credit has to be given for that to Prakash Kutty's visuals. However, the treatment is exactly we have seen in countless Govinda films of the '90s, as well as Kapil Sharma's hero-debut film, Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon (that also shares Elli Avram as a common factor, here seen in a remixed version of Chamma Chamma). The addition of not one, but two needless item songs shows that Fraud Saiyaan is indeed a product of a pre-woke era.

The makers might have seen an interesting idea in a detective trying to catch a fraudster red-handed while trying to be friends with him. The casting of Shukla and Warsi also add credibility to the roles. But Fraud Saiyaan shows a lack of willingness to condemn its protagonist. This week's other release, Why Cheat India, also had a morally corrupt hero, but at least it had the sense to not to justify his actions. Why Cheat India Movie Review: Emraan Hashmi and Shreya Dhanwanthary Empower This Scathing Morality Tale With Fine Performances.

Here, not only Bhola gets to defend himself in the most archaic excuse (he wants to give happiness to women who don't get a chance to love someone), he also gets an unbelievably WTF 'origin' story on how he became the way he is.

It is quite ironical that Fraud Saiyaan is releasing at the time when #MeToo movement has opened everyone's eyes to rampant sexual harassment prevalent everywhere. Why, even Warsi's favourite director was accused of sexual harassment recently. Which is why the film's execution will leave everyone shaking their heads in disbelief, especially the scene where Bhola tries to get intimate with Payal despite her reservations (though this scene is somewhat justified in the end). And to add insult to injury, there is also a needlessly inserted romantic angle inserted.Chamma Chamma Remake Out! Elli AvrRam Grooves on Flashier but Not Sexier Version of Urmila Matondkar's Song.

Then, there is Shukla's private detective who wants to punish Bhola for his wrongdoings but that doesn't stop him for hitting a wronged woman. Also for a detective in the era of Snapchat, why does he never bother to record Bhola's deeds with his mobile?

It is not just the way Arshad's scenes are written, it is also how his victims are portrayed. If you remember, Ranveer Singh's second film, the 2011 film Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, had a similar theme. Even though it also commits the fallacy of acquitting its lead, at least it had some temerity to give the ladies a fighting chance.

Fraud Saiyaan's 'ladies' comes out of David Dhawan's stable of bimbo female characters. They are portrayed as half-brained women whose life revolves around serving their cheating husband and don't even bother to castigate him even after catching him with his pants down. But then, since Fraud Saiyaan's intentions are to have fun with Bhola's sexcapades, then why bother with what the victims have to say!

Speaking of fun, Fraud Saiyaan is hardly that, even though it is touted as a comedy and has two actors with a knack of cracking you up. Unless you enjoy the numerous fart jokes and people getting slapped around, that is. The dialogues are nothing to write about. The only scene that made me almost smile was when a pudgy cop tries to fat-shame Chaurasia, though seeing how the film is made, I am not sure if that scene was being satirical.

The only bright moment comes during the climax when a little twist is revealed that manages to resuscitate your drowning interest. By then, the damage is done and dusted, not that the twist does anything to save the film from embarrassing itself further.

Watch The Trailer of Fraud Saiyaan Here - 

The Performances

The reason why Fraud Saiyaan is even worth a watch is for the extremely watchable camaraderie between Warsi and Shukla. Arshad Warsi gives his best to his irredeemably badly-written character, though he looks very tired in a few scenes. Saurabh Shukla is reliable as always, and lifts some of the tritest scenes with his presence.

Sara Loren's lack of emotions on her face is a mystery of its own, though she is the only female character with somewhat of an intriguing arc. Bhavana Pani and Flora Saini are irritating, while a talented Varun Badola gets very little to do in the film.

Yay!

- Arshad Warsi and Saurabh Shukla's Pairing

- The Twist in the Climax

Nay!

- The Fact That It Got Released in The Post #MeToo Era

Final Thoughts

Fraud Saiyaan is an outdated (un)comedy that is neither funny nor does it make good use of its lead actors' talents. The misogynistic content and the lack of buzz will find it extremely difficult to sustain with today's audience. Do give it a miss!

Rating:1.5out of 5

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 18, 2019 02:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).