Farzi (Indian TV Series)
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''Farzi'' () is an Indian
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
-language
black comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
crime thriller Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...
television series created, produced and directed by
Raj & DK Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K., collectively known as Raj & DK, are an Indian filmmaker duo. They are best known for their work as creators, directors, writers, and producers of the Hindi-language thriller series ''The Family Man (Indian TV seri ...
, who also co-wrote the series with Sita Menon and Suman Kumar. It stars
Shahid Kapoor Shahid Kapoor (; born 25 February 1981) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. Initially recognised for portraying romantic roles, he has since taken on parts in action films and thrillers, and is the recipient of List of awards and n ...
,
Vijay Sethupathi Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi Kalimuthu (born 16 January 1978) is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema, Tamil films. Sethupathi is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Film Awards, National F ...
,
Kay Kay Menon Krishna Kumar Menon (born 2 October 1966), known professionally as Kay Kay Menon, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Hindi cinema, and occasionally in Gujarati, Tamil, Marathi and Telugu films. He is best known for his roles in fil ...
,
Raashii Khanna Raashii Khanna (born 30 November 1990) is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Telugu and Tamil films. She made her acting debut in a supporting role with the Hindi film '' Madras Cafe'' (2013) and subsequently appeared in Telugu film ...
and
Bhuvan Arora Bhuvan Arora is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films and series. He has appeared in the television series '' The Test Case'' (2018) and ''Farzi'' (2023), with the latter emerging as his breakout role. Arora has since had supporting roles in ...
, and tells the story of a disillusioned artist who decides to make
counterfeit money Counterfeit money is currency produced outside of the legal sanction of a state or government, usually in a deliberate attempt to imitate that currency and so as to deceive its recipient. Producing or using counterfeit money is a form of fraud ...
. 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 Alibag, also known as Alibaug (Pronunciation: ™libaːɥ, is a coastal city and a municipal council in Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. It is the headquarters of the Raigad district and is south of the city of Mumbai. Alibag is part of the ...
,
Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...
,
Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
, and
Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
.
Sachin–Jigar Sachin–Jigar are an Indian music composer duo consisting of Sachin Sanghvi and Jigar Saraiya. They are both known for their compositions in both Hindi and Gujarati language films. Personal life Sachin Sanghvi and Jigar Saraiya are both orig ...
and
Tanishk Bagchi Tanishk Bagchi (born 23 November 1980) is an Indian music producer, composer, singer and lyricist in Hindi films. He is known for tracks like "Vaaste", "Bolna", "Ve Maahi", " Aankh Maarey" (recreated), " Dilbar" (recreated), "Jehda Nasha" (recr ...
composed the songs, while Ketan Sodha provided the score. The series shares continuity with Raj & DK's spy series ''
The Family Man ''The Family Man'' is a 2000 American romantic fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Brett Ratner, from a screenplay by David Diamond and David Weissman. The film stars Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni, with Don Cheadle, Saul Rubinek, and Jerem ...
''. The eight-episode series was released on
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
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 2023 Filmfare OTT Awards, the fourth edition of awards presented to honour artistic and technical excellence in original programming on Over-the-top media service, over-the-top streaming media in Hindi-language. Web original shows or films rele ...
, ''Farzi'' received 10 nominations.


Premise

Sunny is an artist disillusioned by the
income inequality in India Income inequality in India refers to the unequal distribution of wealth and income among its citizens. According to the CIA World Factbook, the Gini coefficient of India, which is a measure of income distribution inequality, was 35.2 in 2011, ...
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 Counterfeit money is currency produced outside of the legal sanction of a state or government, usually in a deliberate attempt to imitate that currency and so as to deceive its recipient. Producing or using counterfeit money is a form of fraud ...
. They face challenges from Mansoor, a gangster, and Michael, a cop. According to co-creator Raj Nidimoru, the title refers to counterfeiting, as well as the "fakeness" inherent in people.


Cast and characters


Main


Recurring


Cameos

The following actors make cameos, reprising their roles from ''
The Family Man ''The Family Man'' is a 2000 American romantic fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Brett Ratner, from a screenplay by David Diamond and David Weissman. The film stars Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni, with Don Cheadle, Saul Rubinek, and Jerem ...
'':


Episodes


Production

''Farzi'' was first conceived as a film by
Raj & DK Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K., collectively known as Raj & DK, are an Indian filmmaker duo. They are best known for their work as creators, directors, writers, and producers of the Hindi-language thriller series ''The Family Man (Indian TV seri ...
with
Shahid Kapoor Shahid Kapoor (; born 25 February 1981) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. Initially recognised for portraying romantic roles, he has since taken on parts in action films and thrillers, and is the recipient of List of awards and n ...
and
Nawazuddin Siddiqui Nawazuddin Siddiqui (; born 19 May 1974) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a National Film Award, an IIFA Award, and two Filmfare Awards, as well as a nomination for an ...
in 2014.
Kriti Sanon Kriti Sanon (born 27 July 1990) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. She has received a National Film Award and two Filmfare Awards, and was featured in ''Forbes India'' Forbes Celebrity 100, Celebrity 100 list of 2019. Af ...
joined the cast by the end of the year. By 2019, it was expanded into a television series with Kapoor still attached. In January 2021, Kapoor confirmed that
Raashii Khanna Raashii Khanna (born 30 November 1990) is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Telugu and Tamil films. She made her acting debut in a supporting role with the Hindi film '' Madras Cafe'' (2013) and subsequently appeared in Telugu film ...
had joined the project. In September 2021,
Bhuvan Arora Bhuvan Arora is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films and series. He has appeared in the television series '' The Test Case'' (2018) and ''Farzi'' (2023), with the latter emerging as his breakout role. Arora has since had supporting roles in ...
said that he was working on the series. Raj & DK offered a part to
Vijay Sethupathi Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi Kalimuthu (born 16 January 1978) is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema, Tamil films. Sethupathi is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Film Awards, National F ...
when they were in Chennai filming ''
The Family Man ''The Family Man'' is a 2000 American romantic fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Brett Ratner, from a screenplay by David Diamond and David Weissman. The film stars Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni, with Don Cheadle, Saul Rubinek, and Jerem ...
''; he joined the production 40 days after they began filming. He credited his co-star Raashii Khanna, with whom he had worked before in
Tamil films Tamil cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language, the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam, a Chenn ...
, for making him comfortable on set.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
began at
Film City, Mumbai Film City, officially known as Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari, is an integrated film studio complex located in Goregaon East, Mumbai. Established in 1977 by the Maharashtra state government, it was created to provide facilities and concessions ...
in July 2021. Filming also took place in parts of Mumbai,
Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...
,
Alibaug Alibag, also known as Alibaug (Pronunciation: ™libaːɥ, is a coastal city and a municipal council in Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. It is the headquarters of the Raigad district and is south of the city of Mumbai. Alibag is part of the ...
,
Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
, and
Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
. Pankaj Kumar served as the cinematographer. The series was officially announced by
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on 28 April 2022, during the launch exhibit of 40 Indian projects sanctioned by the company. Kapoor, Sethupathi, Khanna,
Kay Kay Menon Krishna Kumar Menon (born 2 October 1966), known professionally as Kay Kay Menon, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Hindi cinema, and occasionally in Gujarati, Tamil, Marathi and Telugu films. He is best known for his roles in fil ...
,
Regina Cassandra Regina Cassandra (born 13 December 1990) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. Cassandra is a recipient of several accolades including a SIIMA Award and a CineMAA Award, along with a Filmfare OTT Award n ...
, Zakir Hussain,
Bhuvan Arora Bhuvan Arora is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films and series. He has appeared in the television series '' The Test Case'' (2018) and ''Farzi'' (2023), with the latter emerging as his breakout role. Arora has since had supporting roles in ...
,
Amol Palekar Amol Palekar (born 24 November 1944) is an Indian actor, director and producer of Hindi and Marathi cinema. Early life and education Palekar was born to Kamlakara and Suhasini Palekar in a Marathi language, Marathi speaking middle-class family ...
, and
Kubbra Sait Kubbra Sait is an Indian actress, TV host and model who has appeared in the films ''Sultan'', ''Ready'' and ''City Of Life''. She gained widespread recognition for her performance as ''Kukoo'' on the First Season of Netflix original show '' Sac ...
were all announced to star. 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. DK later confirmed the crossover, stating the worlds in the two series "run parallel to each other".


Soundtrack

The duo
Sachin–Jigar Sachin–Jigar are an Indian music composer duo consisting of Sachin Sanghvi and Jigar Saraiya. They are both known for their compositions in both Hindi and Gujarati language films. Personal life Sachin Sanghvi and Jigar Saraiya are both orig ...
, who are frequent collaborators of Raj & DK, composed music for the series. They composed two songs, "Paisa Hai Toh" and "Sab Farzi".
Tanishk Bagchi Tanishk Bagchi (born 23 November 1980) is an Indian music producer, composer, singer and lyricist in Hindi films. He is known for tracks like "Vaaste", "Bolna", "Ve Maahi", " Aankh Maarey" (recreated), " Dilbar" (recreated), "Jehda Nasha" (recr ...
composed the third song, "Aasmaan". A soundtrack album comprising these three songs was released by
Sony Music India Sony Music Entertainment India Pvt. Ltd. is an Indian music record label operated by Sony and headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The company began operations in 1997 and was the first record company in India to be fully foreign-owned, with ...
on 28 January 2023.


Release

Two first-look posters of ''Farzi'' featuring Shahid Kapoor and Vijay Sethupathi were released on 5 January 2023. A week later, on 13 January, the official trailer was released. To promote the show, Prime Video collaborated with
Swiggy Swiggy Limited is an Indian online food ordering and delivery company. Founded in 2014, Swiggy is headquartered in Bengaluru and operates in more than 580 Indian cities, Besides food delivery, the platform also provides quick commerce servic ...
to send out fake â‚č2,000 notes to customers who ordered from the service. The series was released on
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
on 10 February 2023. Later that month, Kapoor confirmed that the series would return for a second season. In March 2023, a
YouTuber A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...
named Joravar Singh Kalsi, and his friend Gurpeet Singh, were arrested in
Gurgaon Gurgaon (), officially named Gurugram (), is a satellite city of Delhi and administrative headquarters of Gurgaon district, located in the northern Indian state of Haryana. It is situated near the Delhi–Haryana border, about southwest ...
for enacting a scene from the series, in which they threw fake currency notes from a speeding car.


Reception


Critical response

Saibal Chatterjee Saibal Chatterjee is an Indian film critic, editor and documentary screenwriter. He was a columnist at ''BBC News'', ''Business Standard'', ''Hindustan Times'' and '' The Financial Express''. He has also written for ''The Telegraph'', ''The Tim ...
of ''
NDTV New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. It was founded in 1984 by economist Prannoy Roy and journalist Radhika Roy. NDTV began as a production house for news segments, ...
'' 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.
Shubhra Gupta Shubhra Gupta is an Indian film critic who writes for ''The Indian Express''. She received the Ramnath Goenka Award for Best Writing on Cinema in 2012. She was a member of the Central Board of Film Certification from 2012 to 2015. She is the au ...
of ''
The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka. In 1999, eight y ...
'' concluded that the "inimitable Vijay Sethupathi livens up show that is in service to its star Shahid Kapoor, not its plot". Anuj Kumar of ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
'' 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".
Deepa Gahlot Deepa Gahlot is a theater and film critic, book author, and scriptwriter. She has written several books on cinema, translated several plays (by Manav Kaul and Paresh Mokashi) into English and adapted Paulo Coelho's novel ''The Alchemist'' for the s ...
of ''
Rediff.com Rediff.com, stylized as rediff.com, is an Indian news, information, entertainment, and shopping website. Founded by Ajit Balakrishnan in 1996, it was the first Indian website to become a mainstream news media organization. It is headquartered i ...
'' was appreciative of the performances of Sethupathi and Menon; she found certain episodes to be "adrenaline-pumping" but found others "yawn-inducing". ''
ThePrint The Print is an Indian online newspaper, owned by Printline Media Pvt Ltd. It was launched by journalist Shekhar Gupta in August 2017. History Printline Media Pvt. Ltd, founded by journalist Shekhar Gupta, was incorporated in New Delhi, Ind ...
'' Nidhima Taneja termed it a "gripping crime thriller" and found Bhuvan Arora's to the "breakout performance" of the series. Shweta Keshri of ''
India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media, Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' laun ...
'' 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". ''
Scroll.in Scroll.in, simply referred to as Scroll, is an Indian digital news publication. Founded in 2014, it is owned by SCSN Pvt Ltd. History Background Samir Patil, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumnus and McKinsey & Company associate wa ...
'' Nandini Ramnath opined that "the show’s strengths include a well-chosen cast, strong individual moments, and dialogue destined to endure as
memes A meme (; ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ...
". 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". Pratikshya Mishra of ''
The Quint ''The Quint'' is an English and Hindi language Indian general news and opinion website founded by Raghav Bahl and Ritu Kapur after their exit from Network18. The publication's journalists have won three Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism ...
'' 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".
Sowmya Rajendran Sowmya Rajendran is an Indian writer. She is the winner of Sahitya Akademi's 2015 Bal Sahitya Puraskar and has written over 20 books. She has written young adult fiction, picture books and inspirational books for children. Career Rajendran's w ...
found similarities between ''Farzi'' and ''The Family Man''; she labelled it a "mostly engrossing crime drama" and found Kapoor "likeable as the anti-hero". Dishya Sharma of ''
News18 Network18 Media & Investments Limited, ( d/b/a Network18 Group) is an Indian media conglomerate owned by the Reliance Industries, headed by Mukesh Ambani. Rahul Joshi is the managing director, chief executive officer and group editor-in-chief ...
'' 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. Ronak Kotecha of ''
The Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
'' opined that ''Farzi'' "is a refreshing and intensely gripping scamster saga whose pros far outweigh its cons".


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).


Accolades


References


External links

*
''Farzi''
on
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

''Farzi''
at
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{{authority control Amazon Prime Video original programming Indian crime television series 2023 Indian television series debuts Indian crime drama television series Television shows set in Mumbai