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, 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 (Indian TV 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 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 (Indian TV series), The Family Man'':


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 in 2014. Kriti Sanon 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 (Indian TV series), The Family Man''; 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, for making him comfortable on set. Principal photography began at Film City, Mumbai in July 2021. Filming also took place in parts of Mumbai, Goa, Alibaug, Nepal, and Jordan. Pankaj Kumar (cinematographer), Pankaj Kumar served as the cinematographer. The series was officially announced by Amazon (company), Amazon 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, Zakir Hussain (actor), 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, and Kubbra Sait 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, who are frequent collaborators of Raj & DK, composed music for the series. They composed two songs, "Paisa Hai Toh" and "Sab Farzi". Tanishk Bagchi composed the third song, "Aasmaan". A soundtrack album comprising these three songs was released by Sony Music India 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 to send out fake ₹2,000 notes to customers who ordered from the service. The series was released on Amazon Prime Video on 10 February 2023. Later that month, Kapoor confirmed that the series would return for a second season. 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.


Reception


Critical response

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. 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". 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". 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". ''ThePrint'' 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'' 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'' 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". 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". 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". 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. Ronak Kotecha of ''The Times of India'' 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
''Farzi''
at Bollywood Hungama {{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