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 ==