Farrey Review {3.0/5} & Review Rating
FARREY is the story of a group of students trying to cheat the system. Niyati (Alizeh) is an orphan who is raised by a kind-hearted warden (Ronit Roy) at his orphanage, Ishrat Kada, in Delhi. Niyati is very intelligent and she emerges as a topper in her exams. She even gets admission to the prestigious Winston International School. The principal, Vedita Mathew (Shilpa Shukla), agrees to bear her transport and other costs, knowing her financial condition. Niyati joins the school along with Akash (Sahil Mehta), who also comes from an impoverished background and like her, is very intelligent. Niyati becomes friends with her rich classmates, Chavi (Prasanna Bisht), Prateek (Zeyn Shaw), Sahil (Arshvir Wahi) and Rishabh (Paras Nagpal). Chavi reveals to her that her father (Arbaaz Khan) has asked her to get good marks so that she gets admission to Stanford. However, Chavi is a weak student. For the mid-term exams, Niyati helps Chavi by giving her the answers written on an eraser. Chavi asks Niyati to help her again, for the next set of papers, and this time she’s ready to pay a huge amount. Niyati, at first, refuses due to the risk. Meanwhile, Vedita informs Niyati that the latter has a chance to bag a scholarship at Oxford. Niyati also learns that the warden, who is like her father, is struggling to run the orphanage. Hence, she agrees to help Chavi and her friends and even devises a smart way to cheat. All is going well until Niyati gets caught. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
FARREY is an official remake of the 2017 Thai film BAD GENIUS (Directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya). The story is fresh and relatable. Soumendra Padhi and Abhishek Yadav’s screenplay is tight. Not many films have been made on this topic. Hence, one looks forward to what happens next. The ending, however, is shaky. Soumendra Padhi and Abhishek Yadav’s dialogues are conversational.
Soumendra Padhi’s direction is classy. This is not a conventional film. But he has executed certain scenes with style and it adds to the film’s appeal. The scenes where the characters are copying are nail-biting. The Australia sequence, meanwhile, is intriguing.
On the flipside, the ending is sweet but there’s a shift in the tonality. One expects the film to continue being thrilling and maybe even get violent. But the opposite happens, and it doesn’t gel well with the overall tone of the film. Secondly, while the director tries his best to explain the complexities, in some places, he fails to do so. This will leave viewers confused. Moreover, the voice record scene is a bit misleading as well. Lastly, the title is not quite simple and appears confusing.
Alizeh delivers a smashing performance. It’s difficult to believe this is her debut film as she performs exactly as per the character’s demand. Prasanna Bisht shines and rocks the show, especially in the second half. Sahil Mehta is decent initially but makes his presence felt in the second half. Zeyn Shaw is decent. Ronit Roy is dependable as always. Juhi Babbar Soni (Zoya) and Shilpa Shukla leave a mark. Arshvir Wahi, Paras Nagpal, Bhavna Choudhary (Priyanka) and Shivangi Negi (Monica) are okay and don’t have much to do. Arbaaz Khan is fair in a cameo.
Farrey Official Trailer | Salman Khan | Alizeh Agnihotri | Soumendra Padhi
Sachin-Jigar’s music is not of the chartbuster variety. ‘Ghar Pe Party Hai’ and ‘Machade Tabahi’ are peppy while ‘O Bandeya’ is intended to be soulful. But these songs are not memorable. Sidhant Mathur’s background score is gripping.
Keiko Nakahara’s cinematography is unusual. Susheel Mishra’s production design is very rich, especially in the scenes set in Chavi’s mansion. Natascha Charak and Nikita Mohanty’s costumes are in sync with the characters and their class. Paramjeet Pamma’s action is minimal and realistic. Zubin Sheikh’s editing is slick.
On the whole, FARREY is a well-made and well-intentioned film and is laced with fine performances by the debutants. At the box office, the confusing title, the lack of promotions and awareness is likely to impact the footfalls and the collections. The film will need a strong word of mouth to attract the audience.
