Farzi

<i>Farzi</i>

Farzi

2023 Indian Hindi-language television series

Not to be confused with Farsi.

Farzi (transl. Fake)[1] is an Indian Hindi-language black comedy crime thriller television series created, produced and directed by Raj & DK, who also co-wrote the series with Sita Menon and Suman Kumar. It stars Vijay Sethupathi, Shahid Kapoor, Kay Kay Menon, Raashii Khanna and Bhuvan Arora, and tells the story of a disillusioned artist who decides to make counterfeit money.

Quick Facts Farzi, Genre ...

Initially conceived as a film in 2014, Farzi was expanded into a television series by 2019. Principal photography began in Mumbai in July 2021. Filming also took place in Alibaug, Goa, Nepal, and Jordan. Sachin–Jigar and Tanishk Bagchi composed the songs, while Ketan Sodha provided the score. The series shares continuity with Raj & DK's spy series The Family Man.

The eight-episode series was released on Amazon Prime Video on 10 February 2023. Farzi received positive reviews, and emerged as the most-watched Indian streaming series. By the end of February 2023, Kapoor confirmed that the show would return for a second season. At the 2023 Filmfare OTT Awards, Farzi received 10 nominations.

Premise

Sunny is an artist disillusioned by the income inequality in India after failing to keep his grandfather's extensive printing press in business. He decides to team up with his best friend Firoz to make counterfeit money. They face challenges from Mansoor, a gangster, and Michael, a cop.[1][2] According to co-creator Raj Nidimoru, the title refers to counterfeiting, as well as the "fakeness" inherent in people.[1]

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

  • Kavya Thapar as Ananya, Sunny's ex-girlfriend
  • Chittaranjan Tripathy as Michael's divorce lawyer
  • Lokesh Mittal as Lakdawala
  • Vijay Kumar as Jitu Kaka, Mansoor's uncle and manager
  • Saqib Ayub as Anees, Sunny and Firoz's friend and a small-time goon
  • Karan Maan as Commander Murtaza
  • Nilesh Divekar as Bilal, Mansoor's henchman
  • Priyadarshini Indalkar as the receptionist at MKG Publishing
  • Akkshay Gunaawat as Suparn
  • Saurav Chakraborti as Jamal, Mansoor's henchman
  • Mrinmayee Godbole as Rekha's divorce lawyer
  • Armaan Bhanushali as young Sunny
  • Kabir Khan as young Firoz
  • Vivek Madaan as Arjun Nayar
  • Govind Pandey as MLA Kesaribhai Doshi
  • Divyam Shukla as Vyom, Rekha and Michael's son
  • Ashutosh Priyadarshi as Titu Khislu, a Bangladeshi smuggler
  • Anna Ador as Svetalana

Cameos

The following actors make cameos, reprising their roles from The Family Man:[3]

Episodes

More information No., Title ...

Production

Farzi was first conceived as a film by Raj & DK with Shahid Kapoor and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in 2014.[4] Kriti Sanon joined the cast by the end of the year.[5] By 2019, it was expanded into a television series with Kapoor still attached.[1][6] In January 2021, Kapoor confirmed that Raashii Khanna had joined the project.[7] In September 2021, Bhuvan Arora said that he was working on the series.[8] Raj & DK offered a part to Vijay Sethupathi when they were in Chennai filming The Family Man; he joined the production 40 days after they began filming.[9] He credited his co-star Raashii Khanna, with whom he had worked before in Tamil films, for making him comfortable on set.[9]

Principal photography began at Film City, Mumbai in July 2021.[10] Filming also took place in Goa, Alibaug, Nepal, and Jordan.[11] Pankaj Kumar served as the cinematographer.[12]

The series was officially announced by Amazon on 28 April 2022, during the launch exhibit of 40 Indian projects sanctioned by the company.[13] Kapoor, Sethupathi, Khanna, Kay Kay Menon, Regina Cassandra, Zakir Hussain, Bhuvan Arora, Amol Palekar, and Kubbra Sait were all announced to star.[13]

Writer Sita Menon stated that a scene indicating a crossover with Raj & DK's show The Family Man was not pre-planned and that the idea came to Raj on the day of the shoot.[14] DK later confirmed the crossover, stating the worlds in the two series "run parallel to each other".[15]

Soundtrack

Quick Facts Farzi, Released ...

The duo Sachin–Jigar, who are frequent collaborators of Raj & DK, composed music for the series.[16] They composed two songs, "Paisa Hai Toh" and "Sab Farzi".[17][18] Tanishk Bagchi composed the third song, "Aasmaan".[19] A soundtrack album comprising these three songs was released by Sony Music India on 28 January 2023.[20]

More information No., Title ...

Release

Two first-look posters of Farzi featuring Shahid Kapoor and Vijay Sethupathi were released on 5 January 2023.[21] A week later, on 13 January, the official trailer was released.[22] To promote the show, Prime Video collaborated with Swiggy to send out fake ₹2,000 notes to customers who ordered from the service.[23] The series was released on Amazon Prime Video on 10 February 2023.[24] Later that month, Kapoor confirmed that the series would return for a second season.[25]

In March 2023, a YouTuber named Joravar Singh Kalsi, and his friend Gurpeet Singh, were arrested in Gurgaon for enacting a scene from the series, in which they threw fake currency notes from a speeding car.[26]

Reception

Critical response

Critics praised the performances of Shahid Kapoor (left) and Vijay Sethupathi.

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV wrote that "thanks to a gripping storyline, the uniformly-paced series sustains its momentum within the individual chapters and across all its eight parts", and praised the performances of Shahid Kapoor, Vijay Sethupathi and Kay Kay Menon.[27] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express concluded that the "inimitable Vijay Sethupathi livens up show that is in service to its star Shahid Kapoor, not its plot".[28] Anuj Kumar of The Hindu also compared it unfavourably to The Family Man, writing that the "socio-political commentary that was seamless in The Family Man gets repetitive and even jarring at times here". He also expressed displeasure with how "the writers have spent hours in explaining the business of counterfeit currency, but have left the nuts and bolts of the story loose", but found Kapoor and Sethupathi's performances to be "splendid".[29]

Deepa Gahlot of Rediff.com was appreciative of the performances of Sethupathi and Menon; she found certain episodes to be "adrenaline-pumping" but found others "yawn-inducing".[30] ThePrint's Nidhima Taneja termed it a "gripping crime thriller" and found Bhuvan Arora's to the "breakout performance" of the series.[31] Shweta Keshri of India Today wrote that "Farzi is an intriguing watch, but with too much detailing, it tends to get exhausting in parts". She added that "Kapoor has knocked it out of the park this time", termed Sethupati "remarkable", and Menon "top class".[32] Scroll.in's Nandini Ramnath opined that "the show’s strengths include a well-chosen cast, strong individual moments, and dialogue destined to endure as memes". She was particularly impressed by Pankaj Kumar's cinematography, which she said "includes several continuous takes to create momentum and one bravura – and hilarious – chase sequence set in a crippling Mumbai traffic jam".[33]

Pratikshya Mishra of The Quint termed it a "sly, gripping thriller" and added that "the camerawork and editing work hand-in-hand to create a nearly mesmerising experience, mimicking the hypnotic nature of greed, fame, and power".[34] Sowmya Rajendran found similarities between Farzi and The Family Man; she labelled it a "mostly engrossing crime drama" and found Kapoor "likeable as the anti-hero".[35] Dishya Sharma of News18 found Farzi to be "binge-worthy" but not "as great as The Family Man"; she picked up the performances, cinematography and music as the series' highlights.[36] Ronak Kotecha of The Times of India opined that Farzi "is a refreshing and intensely gripping scamster saga whose pros far outweigh its cons".[37]

Audience viewership

According to the consulting firm Ormax Media, Farzi emerged as the most-watched Indian streaming series of all time, with a projected 37 million viewers, overtaking the record previously set by Rudra: The Edge of Darkness (2022).[38]

Accolades

More information Year, Award ceremony ...

References

  1. [1]
    Ramachandran, Naman (4 February 2023). "Shahid Kapoor, Raj & DK Talk Prime Video Counterfeiting Thriller 'Farzi'". Variety. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  2. [2]
    Malhotra, Rahul (13 January 2023). "'Farzi' Trailer Reveals Shahid Kapoor's Darkly Comic Series". Collider. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  3. [3]
    "Farzi: How clever cameos bring Shahid Kapoor-Vijay Sethupathi show and Manoj Bajpayee's The Family Man in same universe". DNA India. 10 February 2023. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  4. [4]
    "Shahid Kapoor, Nawazuddin Siddiqui to star in Farzi". India Today. 4 September 2014. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  5. [5]
    "Shahid Kapoor, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Kriti Sanon's 'Farzi' to go on floors by January–February start". The Indian Express. 30 December 2014. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  6. [6]
    Hingorani, Piya (2 February 2023). "Shahid Kapoor gets candid on completing 20 years in Bollywood, digital debut Farzi, Ishq Vishk, Jab We Met, Kaminey and more". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  7. [7]
    "Shahid Kapoor welcomes Raashi Khanna on board Raj and DK's web series". Bollywood Hungama. 25 January 2021. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  8. [8]
    Rizvi, S Farah (17 September 2021). "With good work coming my way, I am on the right path: Bhuvan Arora". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  9. [9]
    "Farzi: Vijay Sethupathi On Struggle With Language - Learnt Hindi In Dubai But It's Been Years". NDTV. 23 January 2023. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  10. [10]
    "Shahid Kapoor begins shooting his web show in Mumbai with Raj and DK for a 40 day schedule?". Pinkvilla. 13 July 2021. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  11. [11]
    "Raj and DK explore various locations for Shahid Kapoor's OTT debut Farzi". Bollywood Hungama. 7 February 2023. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  12. [12]
    "I feel Farzi is the best digital debut, says Shahid Kapoor". The Indian Express. 8 February 2023. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  13. [13]
    Whittock, Jesse (28 April 2022). "Amazon Prime Video India Plots 40-Strong TV And Film Originals Mega-Slate; Unveils TVoD Movie Rental Service". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  14. [14]
    Sen, Srijita (11 March 2023). "Farzi Writers Reveal 'The Family Man' Crossover Was Not Intentional, Happened on the Day of Shoot". News18. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  15. [15]
    Ghosh, Ananya (16 March 2023). "The Interview: Q & A with Raj and DK". Mans World India. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  16. [16]
    Ramasubramanian, Uma (4 February 2023). "Sachin-Jigar tell a story with every song in Raj and DK's 'Farzi'". Mid Day. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  17. [17]
    Kushal, Ruchi (31 January 2023). "Sachin-Jigar open up on making Sab Farzi, Shahid Kapoor's reaction to it: 'We don't believe in remakes'". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  18. [18]
    "Sachin-Jigar: Raj & DK Give Us Complete Creative Control Over The Music And Also Give Us Their Honest Feedback". Outlook. 4 February 2023. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  19. [19]
    "Tanishk Bagchi, Sachin-Jihar Come Together For 'Farzi'". Outlook. 27 January 2023. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  20. [20]
    "Farzi (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Apple iTunes. 28 January 2023. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  21. [21]
    "Shahid Kapoor, Vijay Sethupathi unveil first-look posters of their debut OTT show Farzi with release date". DNA India. 5 January 2023. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  22. [22]
    "Farzi trailer: Will Vijay Sethupathi's trigger-happy cop put an end to Shahid Kapoor's get-rich-quick scheme?". The Indian Express. 13 January 2023. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  23. [23]
    "Unique marketing. Swiggy sends out fake ₹2,000 notes for OTT show 'Farzi' promotion". The Hindu Business Line. 20 February 2023. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  24. [24]
    Jha, Lata (11 January 2023). "Amazon Prime Video to stream Shahid Kapoor's 'Farzi' on 10 February". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  25. [25]
    "Shahid Kapoor confirms Farzi Season 2 and says, "I am sure it will happen, but..."". The Economic Times. 20 March 2023. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  26. [26]
    "Farzi' stunt on Golf Course Road proves costly for YouTuber". The Indian Express. 15 March 2023. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  27. [27]
    Chatterjee, Saibal (10 February 2023). "Farzi Review: Vijay Sethupathi Sets The Bar High, Shahid Kapoor's Performance Is Remarkable In Its Restraint". NDTV. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  28. [28]
    Gupta, Shubhra (10 February 2023). "Farzi review: Inimitable Vijay Sethupathi livens up show that is in service to its star Shahid Kapoor, not its plot". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  29. [29]
    Kumar, Anuj (10 February 2023). "'Farzi' season one review: Shahid Kapoor, Vijay Sethupathi are splendid, but sell us a sham beneath the shine". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  30. [30]
    Gahlot, Deepa (10 February 2023). "Farzi Review: Shahid Is Too Showy!". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  31. [31]
    Taneja, Nidhima (10 February 2023). "Shahid Kapoor's Farzi leaves no scope for boredom. It will keep you hooked". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  32. [32]
    Keshri, Shweta (10 February 2023). "Farzi Review: Shahid Kapoor, Vijay Sethupathi's series is an intriguing crime drama with solid performances". India Today. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  33. [33]
    Ramnath, Nandini (10 February 2023). "'Farzi' review: A slick show about one of the oldest con games in town". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  34. [34]
    Mishra, Pratikshya (10 February 2023). "'Farzi' Review: Shahid Kapoor, Vijay Sethupathi Spar in a Sly, Gripping Thriller". The Quint. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  35. [35]
    Rajendran, Sowmya (10 February 2023). "Farzi review: A mostly engrossing crime drama from 'The Family Man' makers". Money Control. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  36. [36]
    Sharma, Dishya (10 February 2023). "Farzi Review: Shahid Kapoor And Vijay Sethupathi's Fake 'Money Heist' Is Worth Bingeing". News18. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  37. [37]
    Kotecha, Ronak (10 February 2023). "Farzi Season 1 Review". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  38. [38]
    "Shahid Kapoor, Vijay Sethupathi's Farzi becomes most-watched Indian OTT series of all time, overtakes Mirzapur and Rudra". The Indian Express. 24 March 2023. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  39. [39]
    "Nominations for the Filmfare OTT Awards 2023: Full List Out | Femina.in". Femina. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Farzi, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.