“Farrey” is the official remake of a Thai film “Bad Genius”. The Hindi adaptation of the film has been done by director Soumendra Padhi in collaboration with Abhishek Yadav.
The story begins with Niyati (Alizeh), a genius girl brought up in an orphanage in Delhi, run by warden (Ronit Roy) and Zoya (Juhi Babbar). After topping the school, Niyati gets admission in an expensive and hi-fi school in Delhi, where the elite of the rich dominate.
Niyati is mesmerized by this new setup of the school. On the very first day of her new school, things take a turn in such a way that Niyati has to help her classmate Chhavi (Prasanna Bisht) to solve a physics problem. After this initiative, Niyati joins the group of rich people like Prateek (Jain Shaw) and Chhavi. The financial condition of her orphanage is quite poor therefore every time her rich friends offer her money and donations to help them pass the exam, she can’t say no.
Along with Niyati, another poor topper Akash (Sahil Mehta) also gets admission in the school, but he is ignored by the group. Niyati and Akash get a scholarship opportunity from school to a foreign university. Will both of them be able to move ahead with the scholarship or will destiny trick them into cheating? The story progresses rapidly on this.
The good thing about the film is that no time has been wasted anywhere in the film. There is no love affair without a reason. Soumendra Padhi, has co-written the screenplay and dialogues of the film with Abhishek Yadav. Soumendra’s grip on direction seems strong. If you have watched ‘Jamtara’, you know that when it comes to delving deep into a subject, Padhi loves to be rustic and down to ground level. Be it Niyati’s first day in an expensive school or her planning to go to Sydney to cheat, he is trying to make the film look realistic in every sense which makes it easier for us to connect as an audience.
In terms of acting, it has to be mentioned that Alizeh Agnihotri has topped in the acting department just like her topper character. It doesn’t seem like this is her first film. Easy on the eyes and yet so interesting, she shines in some of the most complex scenes. The no-makeup, de-glam look also helps Alizeh feel destined to be real. She has got the strong support of Prasanna Bisht as Chhavi, Sahil Mehta as Akash and Jian Shaw in the role of Prateek.The three new faces have handled all the four ends of the film very well. Ronit Roy as the warden and Juhi Babbar as Zoya have given a lovely performance.
“Farrey” comes across as an unexpected surprise – one that keeps you totally engrossed. The first half is steady, but it’s the second follow-up story after the interval where you get the most juice. It’s fast paced, consistently engaging keeps you on the edge of your seat and the characters deliver one surprise after another. Thankfully, there is no forced love angle or any other gimmick that would distract away from the tone the maker is going for. Though the climax of the film could have been better (it’s here where many cinematic liberties get used), the story could have ended with a stronger impact in its final act. Nevertheless, this is a film whose heroine Alizeh single-handedly creates a fitting atmosphere throughout the runtime.
“Farrey” is now showing in theaters near you.
