Farzi Series Review: Engaging as Well As Entertaining
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Vijay Sethupathi, KK Menon, Rashi Khanna, Amol Palekar, Bhuvan Arora, Zakir Hussain, Jaswant Singh Dalal, Kubbra Sait, Chittaranjan Giri,
Director: Raj & DK
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and a half stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
This year’s much-awaited web series Farzi has knocked on Amazon Prime Video. With this web series, Hindi and South film stars Shahid Kapoor and Vijay Sethupathi are making their debut in OTT, and Raj and DK of The Family Man have made a fake, so the expectations are bound to increase. This story of currency forgery, full of crime and drama, may not be new, but its treatment and the brilliant performance of the actors are special. Which has made this series engaging as well as entertaining. Raj & DK’s web series Farzi, released on Prime Video, is a story derived from such news, in which the trap of fake notes in the country, the thinking and connivance of politicians regarding this black business, economic inequality and the stubbornness and passion of honest officers. is shown. Also, the series closely shows the links to the fake currency business.
In 2016, the government announced demonetization, under which the one thousand note was discontinued. New notes of 500 and 2000 rupees were issued. The aim was to control black money. All kinds of claims were made regarding the new notes. Their design was kept in such a way that it was almost impossible to fake it. However, this illusion did not last long, and news of fake notes being seized in the country started gaining momentum. The roots of the counterfeit currency business are so deep that it has become difficult even for government agencies and institutions to eliminate it. Shahid Kapoor has debuted on the OTT platform from the series. The entire concept of the series has been done keeping his character Sunny i.e. Artist at the center. He is a minor pawn in this business of fake notes, but due to his rare skills, he becomes the pivot of this business. The series also marks the digital debut of popular South actor Vijay Sethupathi. At the same time, this is the second Hindi series of Rashi Khanna.
Farzi Series Review: The Story Plot
Sunny (Shahid Kapoor) is a painter and sketch artist. Extremely talented. The eye he has got to see the nuances is rare. Apna Nana works with Madhav (Amol Palekar) in his printing press. He has no one except his maternal grandfather and childhood friend Firoz (Bhuvan Arora). Sunny’s father was a thief, who leaves her on a train when she is young. Innocent Sunny keeps on painting at different stations, hoping that his father will see him and take him away. However, the father is already dead. At a station, he meets Nana, who brings Firoz along with him. Nana, a former freedom fighter, wants to bring revolution to society, and for this, he is bringing out Kranti magazine even after taking a loan. Even after repeated deferment, the loan could not be repaid.
Due to financial constraints, there is a need to close the press. Seeing Nana’s condition, Sunny uses his skills to get into the business of selling currency notes. Initially started of necessity and compulsion, Sunny gets hooked on this game and gets support to get rid of his financial problems. Greed eats up the thinking of right and wrong. Sunny’s fame reaches Mansoor Dalal (KK Menon), a big fish in the counterfeit currency business. Sunny starts working with him. This artist makes such a fake note, that even the money guard machine cannot catch it. Together they want to launch fake currency worth Rs 12,000 crore on the market. This is the biggest bet of Mansoor’s life, which he has placed on the newcomer artist. However, CCFART, a newly formed government agency headed by Michael Vedanayagam (Vijay Sethupathi), is all set to sabotage Sunny and Mansoor’s every plan.
Farzi Series Review and Analysis
The story begins powerfully. Initially, the series hooks you up from the very first episode. The story is not new, but the way the story is told. He keeps you hooked from beginning to end. This web series is the story of Sunny, but he is not a hero but not a villain as he cares for his nanu, his friend, and his love. Vijay Sethupathi’s character is honest and Jabanj is a police officer, but he is quite different from the popular image of the silver screen character. He cannot drive a car. Due to his increased weight, he is not able to catch the criminals running and jumping in the style of a hero. This character is a strong policeman with a very cool and calm style. Two important characters of the series have been introduced in a very special and different way, apart from Sunny’s character, the process of making fake notes with a lot of detailing has also been added to the series. How the big business of fake notes is a kind of big terrorist attack on the economy. The series shows this very well. This series also connects the world of Family Man in itself, how for this you will have to watch the series.
Talking about the flaws of the script, every episode of the series is full of thrill, mystery, and humor, but there is a lack of neatness. The series is reminded of Raj & DK’s Family Man and the Hollywood film Breaking Bad on many occasions. Each episode of this series of eight episodes is one hour. The series waits for the fourth episode to come to its origin story. The length of the series could have been reduced. Vijay Sethupathi and Shahid Kapoor do not have any strong face-to-face scenes in this series of about eight hours duration. In the last episode of the series, there is a scene of a few seconds. Why the makers did not keep any scene between the two brilliant actors, when the story is between them, then this flaw in the script is very annoying. The way Sunny’s character has been crafted in the series, not the other characters. KK Menon’s character has remained half-baked. So, Michael’s ruined personal life has been the story of a police officer in more than a dozen series so far. Megha’s character also needed to be worked on especially her love angle track with Sunny has not come in that way in the story, as needed. The climax of the series also seems to have come suddenly in the story.
The story, spread over eight episodes of about an hour each, has been scripted by director duo Raj Nidimoru-Krishna DK, Sita R Menon and Suman Kumar. The Hindi dialogues are written by Hussain Dalal and additional dialogues by Raghav Dutt. Credit goes to the writers for turning the simple thief-cop marca story into a tight screenplay laced with humor and thrills against the backdrop of the counterfeit note business. The combination of scenery makes it a sight to behold. The underlying humor is the biggest strength in the writing of Raj & DK and their team, which continues from Go Goa Gone to The Family Man series.
Farzi‘s screenplay cheekily uses Sunny’s narration, he is telling his own story. In the first episode, all the major characters are introduced, and then in the subsequent episodes, they keep coming and going as per the plot of the story. The screenplay of Fergie mainly runs along the tracks of Sunny i.e. Artist and Michael. On one hand, Sunny is getting into the business of counterfeit notes by misusing his skills, while on the other hand, Michael is after Mansoor Dalal, a dealer in counterfeit notes. Sunny is nowhere on Michael’s hit list. His whole exercise is only to catch Mansoor.
In the first four episodes, Sunny has been shown getting into the business of counterfeit notes for his needs, and in this sequence, the whole process of making fake notes has been shown, such scenes are rarely seen in Hindi cinema. The arrangement of the paper, the mix of colors, the nuances of the design, and the visuals of the safety strip create excitement. A pleasant surprise is in store for the viewers in the fifth episode when Chellam sir from The Family Man walks into the screen. This character gives an important twist to the story. In further episodes, the game of chor cop between Michael, Mansoor, and Sunny continues. When his counterfeit notes are not caught, Sunny gets emboldened and starts playing big games. For Mansoor, he makes a fake note of 2000 rupees, due to which even the fake note recognition machine cannot catch it. Now the police are also looking for that artist.
It is not easy for Mansoor to launch 12 thousand crores in the market. To stay ahead of the police, Mansoor needs an informer among the police. For this, Sunny implicates Rashi Khanna, an RBI employee and a member of Michael’s task force. Knows his every move through spyware installed on his mobile. The climax of the series has turned a bit filmy, focusing on Sunny’s revenge on Mansoor. The lack of seriousness in politics for economic crimes has been shown well through the character of Minister Pawan Gehlaut (Zakir Hussain) and the political collusion of a former MLA. Seeing Michael demanding a task force to dismantle the network of fake currency, it seems that it is his personal need.
Shahid Kapoor has tried his best to remain natural in the character of Sunny. His costume and demeanor support the character traits of the character. Apart from being a painter of high caliber, Sunny is street-smart. Vicious is not a criminal. That’s why, lives in the duality of right-wrong, even if a friend and partner do not reveal it in front of Firoz. Michael is a fiery, dedicated, and passionate officer for the country, but fails in their personal life. His marriage is on the verge of breaking up. The case is going on for the custody of the child. Michael’s plot seems trite. Regina Cassandra plays Rekha Rao, Michael’s wife who is having an affair. Manoj Bajpayee’s character in The Family Man was also shown to be struggling with a similar family dilemma. However, Vijay is impressed by his portrayal of an officer who breaks limits to nab the criminal. The blueprint of this character is also largely on the lines of Shrikant Tiwari.
Raashi Khanna plays Megha Vyas, an RBI officer and a member of Michael’s task force. His scenes and interactions with Sunny seem close to reality. The chemistry of both is captivating. The writers have not tried to drag the romantic track of both and it has been given space as required. KK Menon’s look has been kept funky in the role of Mansoor Dalal. He is humorous and also vicious. Amidst all this, Bhuvan Arora emerges in the character of Feroze. This is a character who is trying to balance everything. Her bonding and selfless friendship with Sunny is the highlight of the series. It is similar to what happens to Srikant Tiwari and JK in The Family Man.
Acting is one of the important USPs of this web series. Shahid Kapoor has done great acting in this show. He is completely settled in his character. Vijay Sethupathi is known for his excellent acting in South films. In this web series too, he has made a splash with his presence, as was expected from him. The track between Vijay Sethupathi and Zakir Hussain has become very interesting. Bhuvan Arora has also been excellent. Not only does he make us laugh in the entire series with his acting, but he also gets emotional when the time comes. His chemistry with Shahid Kapoor is tremendous. Rashi Khanna and KK Menon have also been able to show their strong presence. Artists like Amol Palekar, Jaswant Singh Dalal, Zakir Hussain, Chittaranjan Giri, Sameer Khakhar, and Saqib Ayyub have made limited characters very special with their performances.
Farzi Series Review: The Last Words
Talking about other aspects related to the series, the cinematography is good. The camera moves well according to the story and situation. The story keeps on moving to Bangladesh, Kathmandu, and other countries as well. The important USP of this series is its dialogues as well. The dialogues are deep as well as full of witty one-liners (if it is a web series, there is no dearth of abuses). Does complete justice to it. Farzi is an entertaining and engaging web series. Which has made it special despite some flaws due to the strong performance of its actors.
