Farzi review: While the Raj & DK show is buoyed by the performances of Shahid Kapoor, Vijay Sethupathi and Kay Kay Menon, it is let down by some weak storytelling and lack of emotional depth.
Farzi
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Vijay Sethupathi, Kay Kay Menon, Raashi Khanna, Amol Palekar, Regina Cassandra, Bhuvan Arora
Director: Raj & DK
Where to watch: Prime Video
Rating: 3 stars
Two heavyweights of their respective film industries – Shahid Kapoor and Vijay Sethupathi – making their OTT debut in a show helmed by Raj & DK of The Family Man-fame; naturally the hype would be high. It is perhaps those heightened expectations that go against Farzi. It is, by no means, a bad show. It is even entertaining. And yet, it is guilty of not utilising its resources to the fullest. It takes a solid premise, a good plot, some great performances, and a banger BGM but still does not transcend to greatness in storytelling.
Farzi is about an ‘artist’ Sunny (Shahid Kapoor), who uses his artistic finesse and his friend Firoz’s (Bhuvan Arora) knowledge of offset printing to create counterfeit notes. The story then follows how his small-time ‘enterprise’ catches the eye of the shark of counterfeiting Mansoor Dalal (Kay Kay Menon) and puts him in the crosshairs of zealous cop Michael (Vijay Sethupathi).
Raj & DK, the creators of The Family Man, come out with another fast-paced thriller rooted in the real world, which includes equal doses of humour, thrill, and drama. It is even set in the same world as the Manoj Bajpayee-starrer, as some cleverly-placed Easter eggs and cameos confirm. Hence, comparisons become obvious as much as you try and avoid them. Farzi’s USP is the world of counterfeiting. That fresh take on a problem that hasn’t been talked about much in Indian entertainment sets it apart from the countless action thrillers out there, including The Family Man. But beyond that, it descends into being a run-of-the-mill cat-and-mouse chase.
Vijay Sethupathi brings his effortless acting style. Initially, his accent and dialogue delivery are hammy but Michael grows on you. After years of playing goons, he has begun playing cops now and Farzi gives him a better script that DSP, where he can fully stretch his wings. But he is still far from his best. Shahid Kapoor gets a well-written, layered role that has a promising arc. Again, Farzi isn’t among his best performances but Kapoor’s screen presence and boyish charm elevates the character. The star of the show, for me, however, is Kay Kay Menon’s Mansoor. The actor manages to portray a criminal who is scary and scared at the same time. Veteran Amol Palekar as Sunny’s idealistic grandfather is more than capable in being the show’s moral compass. Raashi Khanna, who plays an RBI official part of Michael’s task force, also leaves her mark. One actor who I wished to see more of was Regina Cassandra, who plays Michael’s estranged wife. She did well in the few scenes she had and helped bring out Michael’s back-story well.
One may ask if everything so well-written and well-performed, then how exactly does Farzi fall short of being a truly great series. The truth is that while it maintains its pace ad thrills, it lags in helping the viewer truly connect with the characters. The stakes never seem truly high and the emotional scenes lag. The jokes and lighter moments, which made The Family Man shine, often fall flat here. While Raj & DK try to show what Sunny is doing is wrong, they end up justifying his criminal activities as an attempt to ‘challenge the system’, falling into the usual trap of glorifying crime to make it cool.
Farzi is a show that promises so much and has all the right ingredients to make a splash. And yet, by the end of it all, you feel a bit underwhelmed. The season finale sets up a delicious second season. Here’s hoping that Raj and DK can learn from the mistakes of season one and really deliver the show’s true potential next time around. Because Farzi, Shahid, and Vijay Sethupathi all deserve better!
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Farzi marks Shahid Kapoor's web series debut")
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}