Farzi Season 1 Review: The maverick duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK are known for making 99 and Shor In the City that featured street-smart con artists down on their luck. Raj & DK are also known for making The Family Man, one of India's most popular web-series, that featured a ordinary looking middle-class man who is actually one of India's most brilliant Intelligence officers. Their new series Farzi feels like a marriage of both these fares. It is essentially about two con-artists trying to make big in a dog-eat-dog world, and it is also about an intelligence officer trying to bring down a big criminal network that could affect the nation adversely. And what's more, Farzi is as fun a watch as all the movies and series I mentioned in this para. Farzi: Kriti Sanon, Mira Rajput, Varun Dhawan and More Celebs Attend Screening of Shahid Kapoor’s Amazon Prime Series.

Sunny (Shahid Kapoor) is an orphaned artiste struggling to get a big break. While he may be lacking in money, Sunny has people who care for him including a bestie in overtly loyal but slightly fumbling Firoz (Bhuvan Arora) and his Nanu (Amol Palekar) who he dotes on but is showing signs of dementia. The grandpa, a former freedom fighter, runs a printing press that publishes a revolutionary newspaper called Kranti, which he expects to change the world but instead keeps him heavily in debts. Sunny is also having to want his own kranti when it comes to revolting against his social position, desperately wanting to break rich and big.

The opportunity arises when in trying to help his grandfather to pay off his debts and not lose the press, Sunny decides to use his artistry and Firoz's press skills to create counterfeit notes that feel close to the original. However, once Sunny enjoys the tastes of the ill-gotten gains, he wants more, and that, of course, always invites trouble.

Then there is Michael (Vijay Sethupathi) an intelligence officer who heads a special unit called CC-FART (no joking) with the sole aim of bringing an end to the counterfeit currency racket. Michael, whose married life is beyond repair, has his eyes trained solely on Mansoor (Kay Kay Menon), an international kingpin in fake currency. If I have to bring in comic lore here, then Mansoor is Joker to Michael's Batman, they even reflect each other's quirks at times. Like for example, both Michael and Mansoor love pav-bhaji, and when they had to entice two characters to come to their side, they use the dish to bond with them. There is another scene where when Michael's team successfully launches a fake currency identifying app, he announces a party at his expense for them. A few scenes later, Mansoor does the same when he gets the prototype of a properly counterfeited note. Michael isn't purely honest too, he is known to bend and break the rules to have his way or as a favour to please a minister. In wanting to get hold of Masoor, small fry like Sunny never comes to his notice until it's too late.

Watch the Trailer of Farzi:

There's also another main player and that's Megha (Raashii Khanna), who, apart from Sunny's grandpa, is the only character with moral scruples. An RBI officer specialising in counterfeit notes, she gets herself assigned in Michael's team and the first one to realise how nearly authentic Sunny's notes look.

Farzi starts off just about decently introducing some of the main characters, and explaining Sunny's background, but shifts to the fourth gear when Sunny decides to use his artistic skills to other uses. If you are aware of Raj & DK's works, you would be aware they know how to balance the serious with the humour (A Gentleman being the exception of course). And Farzi nails that aspect right as well. Farzi gets grim and dirty when the situation demands, like it doesn't compromise on Mansoor as a major threat, even when he is being undermined or in Sunny's relationship with his Nanu that treads on broken glass. I particularly loved the scene where his Nanu is drawing Sunny and the conversation they have in his office that comes much later in the series.

A little underwhelming would be Michael's relationship with his estranged wife (Regina Cassandra). While it adds layers to his character and his past and allows Sethupathi more room to breathe as an actor and throw in punchlines, this is a kind of storyline that feels very familiar and often feels less interesting than the other tracks in the series dragging down the pace.

Not underwhelming, though, is when Farzi tries to go whimsical and largely nails those scenes. Be it Sunny and his team robbing a paper mill or any scenes featuring Michael trying to convince Minister Gahlot (Zakir Hussain) and more always left me amused. Farzi's also thrilling, keeping you at the edge of the seat when it needs to be, and like The Family Man, it isn't undeterred to go big when needed. Particular highlight would be the cargo ship scene where Sunny and Firoz try to bring in the fake currency from overseas and realise the cops are waiting for them at their destination. Or a very thrilling chase scene in the third act of the series that is best left not described here for SPOILER reasons.

An admirable aspect is the detailing in which the writers (Sita Menon, Suman Kumar and Raj & DK) have gone into explaining certain operations in the film. So good that I am worried that they might inspire certain factions to attempt something similar IRL.

Unlike the first season of The Family Man, Farzi doesn't go too political despite its content matter - which is a smart and safe way to go for the makers, knowing what happened last time - though it doesn't resist the temptation of sneaking in a few digs. PS: A certain loud-mouthed news anchor is quite the favourite punching bag for Bollywood these days.

However, I was disappointed with how the season 1 of Farzi came to its conclusion. I don't mind things spilling into next season, but I believe it should try to wrap up most of the plot elements neatly and then use them to set up new plotlines for new season. Michael, especially, feels underused here after that chase scene is done. Farzi Review: Critics Hail Vijay Sethupathi and Shahid Kapoor’s Top Notch Performances in Raj & DK’s Amazon Prime Series!

Farzi is, of course, in the news for being the OTT debut for both Shahid Kapoor and Vijay Sethupathi. Shahid Kapoor is fabulous, no two words about it, in a well-written character. We understand his driving motivation, even if we do not agree with his methods, and the actor excellently nails the roguish street-smartness needed for his role that definitely earns a place in one of his best performances in my list.

I am a little surprised that Sethupathi took this long to enter a web-series, considering the man lands nearly every week in some movie or anthology, language no bar. Well, Farzi is his Hindi debut, and Sethupathi does quite well with the language, bringing his trademark wry sense of humour that gels well with the directors' sensibilities and it is always a treat when he comes on screen. I was saddened, though, that there aren't much scenes of both Shahid and Vijay together, hope the next season mends that.

Raashii Khanna is also commendable as the conscientious officer, a fine performance that lands well alongside with her stunning work in Rudra. Kay Kay Menon is entertaining as the antagonist, balancing humour, menace and even desperation with an ease that we associate with a fantastic performer as him.

The breakout star of the show is, hands down, Bhuvan Arora. As the super-dedicated dost, Bhuvan not only has excellent chemistry with Shahid, but also matches up to him with a winsome performance and occasionally even stealing the show from him. Clearly an actor who would grow bigger once Farzi is seen by all and sundry. Amol Palekar, Zakir Hussain, Regina Cassandra, Chittaranjan Giri, Kubbra Sait, Jaswant Singh Dalal all do fine in their roles.

Final Thoughts

Farzi is an another winning effort from Raj & DK, who blends their wry humour with a well-made thriller that doesn't compromise on detailing and of course on performances. With Shahid Kapoor and Vijay Sethupathi lending in their star-power, I expect the series to blow up in the coming days and maybe reach the cult status of The Family Man. The first season of Farzi is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Rating:3.5

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 10, 2023 10:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).