Paramvir Cheema on 'The Pyramid Scheme': Goldie is broke, desperate, easy prey
Synopsis
Paramvir Cheema's Goldie in 'The Pyramid Scheme' isn't a villain — he's the middle-class Indian caught between tax pressure, family expectation, and the seductive math of a get-rich-quick pitch. TVF's new Prime Video drama, premiering 5 June, turns the pyramid scam into a mirror for aspirational India.
Key Takeaways
Paramvir Cheema plays Goldie , a financially struggling man drawn into a pyramid scheme.
The series premieres on Prime Video on 5 June .
The ensemble cast features Shekhar Suman , Ranvir Shorey , Aanjjan Srivastav , Akhilendra Mishra , and Sushant Singh , among others.
Produced by The Viral Fever , created by Shreyansh Pandey , and co-directed by Ashish R Shukla and Pandey.
Actor Paramvir Cheema has opened up about his role as Goldie in the upcoming streaming series 'The Pyramid Scheme', describing the character as a financially struggling everyman seduced by the promise of a shortcut to wealth. The show premieres on Prime Video on 5 June.
Who is Goldie
Speaking during the promotional run of the series in Mumbai, Cheema said his character mirrors a familiar Indian aspiration trap. “Goldie is a guy who just like every other Indian who wants to earn money and is looking for a way but everybody is very fascinated when you see, okay this is a shortcut to earn big money,” he said. “So, he is stuck in his life and financially he is not doing great, very bad.”
The actor added that Goldie's turning point arrives when he encounters a figure who has already climbed the ladder — a character played by veteran actor Shekhar Suman. “Finally, he sees someone who has been there and raised to a position… and he is very fascinated with how he can become rich,” Cheema said.
The pressure that pushes Goldie in
Cheema framed his character's slide as a product of cumulative pressure rather than greed alone. “There is so much pressure from family, government, tax goes away, after that money doesn't remain,” he said. “And then we feel that we will also make it a shortcut because everybody is not idealist. Everybody has to do something in their own way and finally when he gets this scheme… he couldn't control himself just to go for this one.”
What the series is about
'The Pyramid Scheme' is built around the murky, high-pressure world of multi-level marketing and pyramid scams — a subject that has surfaced repeatedly in Indian regulatory crackdowns over the past decade. The ensemble cast includes Ranvir Shorey, Shekhar Suman, Aanjjan Srivastav, Alfia Jafry, Ashish Raghava, Akhilendra Mishra, Smita Bansal, Vijay Kumar, Indresh Malik, Ravi Bhel, Sushant Singh, Sonal Jha, and Sadanand Patil.
Behind the camera
The series is produced by The Viral Fever (TVF) and created by Shreyansh Pandey, who also co-directs alongside Ashish R Shukla. With TVF's track record in middle-class character drama — from 'Panchayat' to 'Aspirants' — 'The Pyramid Scheme' looks to extend that lens into financial deception.
What's next
'The Pyramid Scheme' streams from 5 June on Prime Video, joining a growing slate of Indian originals tackling con artistry and aspirational fraud.
Point of View
And the streaming space is finally catching up to that reality. What makes Cheema's framing interesting is the refusal to moralise — Goldie isn't greedy, he's exhausted. If the show holds that ambiguity, it could land closer to 'Jamtara' than to a cautionary PSA. The bigger question is whether Prime Video's algorithm will surface it past the noise of summer tentpoles.
NationPress
19 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When does 'The Pyramid Scheme' release?
'The Pyramid Scheme' premieres on Prime Video on 5 June. It is a streaming-only release with no theatrical window.
Who does Paramvir Cheema play in 'The Pyramid Scheme'?
Paramvir Cheema plays Goldie, a financially struggling young man who is lured into a pyramid scheme after meeting a figure who appears to have grown rich through it. The character represents an aspirational middle-class Indian crushed by family and financial pressure.
Who are the lead actors in 'The Pyramid Scheme'?
The series stars Paramvir Cheema, Shekhar Suman, Ranvir Shorey, Aanjjan Srivastav, Alfia Jafry, Ashish Raghava, Akhilendra Mishra, Smita Bansal, Sushant Singh, and others. Shekhar Suman plays the figure who draws Goldie into the scheme.
Who has produced and directed 'The Pyramid Scheme'?
The series is produced by The Viral Fever (TVF) and created by Shreyansh Pandey. It is co-directed by Ashish R Shukla and Shreyansh Pandey.
