Opening Doorz
“Celebrating Life”
By Martin D’Souza | Opening Doorz Editorial | November 24, 2023 Rating: 4/5 The Essence: Alizeh Agnihotri, of course, is what Farrey is all about, and like the bright Niyati in the film, she sails […]
By Martin D’Souza | Opening Doorz Editorial | November 24, 2023
Rating: 4/5
The Essence: Alizeh Agnihotri, of course, is what Farrey is all about, and like the bright Niyati in the film, she sails through with a scholarship for at least a 10-film deal. She scores big in every department of acting—dialogue delivery, pauses, body language, playing to the camera angle…
First Day, First Show. Verdict: a movie worth watching. All four newcomers score big time in this film which marks the debut of Salman Khan’s niece, Alizeh Agnihotri. I had more or less gauged the body language and performance of Alizeh Agnihotri through the trailer and was eager to catch the film and her performance. The girl does not disappoint. The trailer was just the tip of the iceberg of the talent that was to unfold on the big screen.
Prasanna Bisht (Chavi), Sahil Mehta (Aakash), and Zeyn Shaw (Pratik) are the other stars of the film, who combine to make Farrey a gripping examination heist, if one may call it so.
Niyati (Alizeh Agnihotri) is a bright orphan girl who has secured admission to a prestigious school. Along with her is Aakash (Sahil Mehta) another topper, from a poor family, a friend of Niyati.
On her first day in school, Niyati bails out Chavi (Prasanna Bisht) from a tough situation, giving her answers to a problem she has no clue about. This brings the rich kids close to Niyati. The ‘not-so-bright’ rich kids, who want to impress their parents with good grades, hit upon a plan to cheat in exams.
During the first-term examination, this is just some fun sport for Niyati, passing on answers to the rest. However, she is soon dragged into helping out the kids professionally. The orphanage she comes from needs funding, she readily agrees and things reach to a point when she, along with Aakash has to fly to Australia to take a common exam and pass on the answers to her friends in New Delhi. With an eight-hour time difference, this is possible and the kids come up with a novel idea to take chits into the examination hall, without taking any chits!
Director Soumendra Padhi has the plot firmly in his grip as he gives every actor, especially the four, enough scenes to cement their acting prowess. Prasanna as Chavi brings out her character to life to a nicety; under pressure to perform academically on par with her older brother (a topper now studying at a University abroad), Chavi underscores her vulnerability to perfection. When it’s time to show who the mean bitch is, she does not pull her punches. A bright talent.
Sahil Mehta as Aakash, who is focused on getting his family out of poverty, is readying for his scholarship to Oxford. He is aware of Niyati’s ‘friendship’ with the rich kids and brings it to the notice of the principal. Niyati loses her scholarship, and so does Aakash after a few days.
Both are then lured to help the others, by answering the common entrance exam in Australia, for a huge sum of money. Slow off the blocks at first, Sahil soon warms up to the plot to bring a twist to his character towards the end.
Zeyn Shaw with a hero-villian streak played with subtle ease is someone to watch out for in the years to come. Delightful expressions that go with his body language that hide a mean streak. Superb. He has the class of Jim Sarbh and given the right opportunities, he is sure to scorch the screen with his presence.
Alizeh, of course, is what Farrey is all about, and like the bright Niyati in the film, she sails through with a scholarship for at least a 10-film deal. She scores big in every department of acting—dialogue delivery, pauses, body language, expressions, playing to the camera angle…
Salim Khan had called Farhan Akhtar to his home after Rock On (2008) and gifted him his Filmfare trophy for his performance as Aditya Shroff. I’m sure Javed Akhtar has already earmarked one of his Filmfare Trophies for Alizeh Agnihotri.
Foot Note: The music is ordinary, and the songs have a blue hai Paani Paani feel. The background score could have been more appealing to complement the performance of the new-comers.
CREDITS
Producer: Salman Khan Films
Director: Soumendra Padhi
Star Cast: Alizeh Agnihotri, Prasanna Bisht, Sahil Mehta, Zeyn Shaw, Juhi Babbar Soni, Ronit Roy
Also Read: Alizeh Agnihotri: Tiger Zinda Hai
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