Farzi review: Vijay Sethupathi sets the bar high, Shahid Kapoor’s restrained performance is remarkable

mould: Shahid Kapoor, Vijay Sethupathi, Kay Kay Menon, Raashi Khanna, Amol Palekar, Kubbra Sait, Regina Cassandra, Bhuvan Arora, Chittaranjan Giri, Zakir Hussain and Jaswant Singh Dalal

Director: Raj and DK

Rating: three and a half stars (out of 5)

Money makes the world go round. In bogusSet in post-demonetisation India, it sets off a spiral that pits the protagonist, an exceptionally skilled but struggling artist, against the law and an underworld kingpin. He prints his own cash, cocking a snook into a system that is at the mercy of the rich and powerful. A battle of attrition that forms the backbone of a solidly crafted, superbly acted series.

The anti-heroes of the eight-episode show, created, produced, directed and co-written by Raj and DK, represent the section of the Indian population that gets crushed under the weight of debt and payments. He resorts to crime as an act of rebellion.

Written by the directorial duo along with Sita R Menon and Suman Kumar, each episode revolves around the one hour mark. However, thanks to an engrossing storyline, the evenly paced series maintains its momentum throughout the individual chapters and all its eight parts.

bogus, streaming on Amazon Prime Video, isn’t the kind of show that strings together action sequences and shootouts just for visceral effect. It factors into the narrative an examination of the nature of need and the dynamics of greed and places it on a canvas of ever-changing emotions and relationships.

A bromance that sees two orphans grow up together, a drama based on a grandfather-grandson relationship, a story of a broken marriage, a cop in search of salvation, and a committed young professional portraying a set Finding my way in -up. Does not immediately sit down and pay attention to his ability. bogus Combines several real, believable tales into one narrative that thrills and raises questions.

Shahid Kapoor, in his streaming debut, is cast as Sunny, a talented street artist who creates knockoffs of the likes of Van Gogh and rustles up five-minute portraits for a pittance. He believes he deserves better.

He also serves on the staff of his grandfather’s anti-establishment magazine Kranti. The old man, portrayed surprisingly well by Amol Palekar, has run-ins with the country’s rulers because of his outspoken views. The seasoned rebel is the exact opposite of the rebellious grandson. The latter has no merit. Their protest is both illegal and unethical.

Sunny’s impatience and defiance puts her in the crosshairs of an anti-counterfeiting unit headed by a tough but troubled cop, a criminal network run by a ruthless gangster who smuggles fake Indian currency into the country and a bright young security operative. The expert is determined to contribute to that. The mite for the nation’s war on financial terrorism.

It is this need that drives Sunny into a life of crime. The publishing business is heavily indebted and is on the verge of closure. Hero learns that waiting for money to come his way is not an option. So, with the help of his childhood friend Firoz (Bhuvan Arora), he generates his own fake cash and bails out the magazine.

That one audacious crime – it’s a rebellion against a system that helps the rich get richer and pushes the poor further into poverty – whets Sunny’s appetite. He seeks the help of his grandfather’s manager, Avancular Yasir (Chittaranjan Giri), as his counterfeiting business grows.

What begins as a plan to salvage a printing press soon turns into a full-fledged operation driven by greed and adventure. A small-time operative is sucked into a cross-border counterfeit currency smuggling racket run by the security of an unknown country in the Middle East. As the stakes rise and Sunny and Firoz start rolling in the money, the risks multiply.

A covert government operation in Kathmandu to nab fraudster Mansoor Dalal (KK Menon) fails and the target escapes. The police officer leading the charge, Michael Vedanayagam (Vijay Sethupathi, in his Hindi debut and his first foray into the streaming space) is determined to survive the setback. The demons within him threaten to get in the way but he keeps on going.

Michael coerces a cynical and corrupt minister (Zakir Hussain) into setting up a new anti-counterfeiting task force under his supervision. He regroups his Kathmandu team, who are soon joined by Megha Vyas (Raashi Khanna), a Reserve Bank of India recruit who has designed a cash-counting machine chip that can detect counterfeit currency bills. Can apply

Mansoor Dalal’s world of organized crime and Sunny’s desi racket collide. This takes the showdown between lawbreakers and spies to another level. Some compare Mansoor to a poisonous snake. He is equally an aggressive weasel. Sunny has her hands full now.

He creates a foolproof “supernote” that is impossible to detect. But Sunny is not a super criminal and neither is Michael a supercop. Both are clearly flawed men struggling with emotional challenges. Criminals and cops struggle to capture those closest to them.

Childhood friend Firoz, a grandfather he loves and senior colleague Yasir are important people in Sunny’s life. A mother who had died when he was a boy when he and his grandfather cast their minds back to the heavenly Varan Bhat that she would cook. The emptiness in Sunny’s life.

A hard-drinking, tough-as-nails Michael makes a strange attempt to regain lost ground with his estranged wife (Regina Cassandra) and their seven-year-old son. Michael wants to be a regular family man, but he is no Srikant Tiwari. His back story, which is only revealed about halfway through the series, has traces that are difficult to erase.

bogus Equipped with impressive performances. The presence of Vijay Sethupathi gives immense importance to the series and sets the bar very high. The other actors match Sethupathi’s natural ease. The only person who is allowed to be a little flashy is Kay Kay Menon, who comes up with a balanced and impressive act.

Shahid Kapoor dives deep into the soulful central role and delivers a performance that is notable for its sustained restraint. Apart from Amol Palekar, who is brilliant as the embodiment of a moral compass with whom the protagonist must contend while breaking the law, Raashi Khanna, Chittaranjan Giri and Bhuvan Arora have nailed characters that we definitely look forward to seeing more of. Would like it.

Sunny’s grandfather tells him that the difference between a masterpiece and a mess is one wrong stroke. bogus tests the axioms on its own and lives up to telling the story convincingly with most of its props – that’s no mean feat.

bogus is a thriller packed with everything this genre demands and then some. It’s an intriguing tale of crimes that’s never in danger of straying. Binge-worthy in every way.