Farzi review: Inimitable Vijay Sethupathi livens up show that is in service to its star Shahid Kapoor, not its plot

The other main track belongs to the law enforcement unit, headed by the hot-headed Michael Vednayagam (Vijay Sethupathi), which is busy tracking the dastards responsible for this ‘financial terrorism’. Flooding India with ‘farzi’ 2000 rupee notes will ruin the economy, thunders one worthy. More wisdom on India’s enemies is shared out loud. The series slips in the fact of demonetisation, and of how corruption was meant to be curbed with the new notes, by slyly giving us corrupt, power-hungry netas (one is an MLA from, um, Gujarat; the other one, played by Zakir Hussain, gets a lot more screen time). An enthusiastic rookie (Raashii Khanna), also a smart cookie, joins the ‘farzi’ note busters, and often strikes off on her own, despite being explicitly told not to play a lone hand.

The action goes back and forth between the ‘chor’ and the police, leaving battered bodies and splattered blood in its wake. But, and this is the trouble with ‘Farzi’, nothing ever feels urgent or fresh enough. There is a lot of explanatory chatter, a lot of declamation, and a lot of first-tell-then-show: what could have been wrapped up in four or five episodes is stretched over into eight. The reason is clear. This show is in service to its star, not to its plot: in the two parts of the much more superior The Family Man, the creators have made no such concessions for the central character played by Manoj Bajpayee, and look where that’s got them, right on top of the web-series pole. (Watch out for a teeny cameo from a beloved Family Man character).

It isn’t as if the boyish good-looking Kapoor, who is front and centre in the narrative, is not efficient. It isn’t as if he can’t act well. But here, except for the odd scene when he allows himself to be vulnerable, he does not do one thing new. Sunny is just another variant of a long line of Shahid Kapoor roles, cementing his starry persona.

The other thing that sticks in your craw is the relentless cascade of cussing: everyone goes about invoking mothers-sisters-daughters with such gusto as if it was going out of fashion. Swearing a blue streak may have possessed shock value at one point. Now it’s just plain tiresome and lazy. It’s almost like the streamers, having been told to lay off thorny religious issues (the troubles with ‘Taandav’ must have been fresh in their minds), are taking refuge in characters who can’t speak a single sentence without giving several fxxxs. Ho gaya na bas? Even a couple of smart things that the writers do– sneaking in a snarky sequence about pet TV anchors who toe the official line, for one– gets lost in this tad-tadaahat of gaalis.

It’s left to the inimitable Vijay Sethupathi to liven things up. Casting him was the real smart move, otherwise whom would we have watched? Here is an actor who not only feels fresh in every role– it is also Sethupathi’s first foray into the digital world—but even in situations which are not exactly novel, he twists, turns, and does the wholly unexpected. He is the family man in this one, with an unhappy wife (Regina Cassandra) who wants out, leaving him to do some unsavoury stuff to save his marriage.

Other actors do their job, too. Amol Palekar brings a touching dignity to his idealistic elderly man, out of sync with these times; a terrific Chittaranjan Giri plays his old-time colleague, swinging between compulsion and compassion. Bhuvan Arora, as the hero’s BFF, lifts scenes. Kay Kay Menon, sharp haircut and colourful shirts to the fore, is clearly having a blast. Kubbra Sait, as a swish baddie, doesn’t get enough to do, but hopefully that will change in the next round.

Because, clearly, ‘Farzi’ is poised for a return. Will this time Shahid be more rumpled, more effective?

Farzi cast: Shahid Kapoor, Vijay Sethupathi, Amol Palekar, Kay Kay Menon, Raashii Khanna, Zakir Hussain
Farzi directors: Raj and DK