The Prime Video series Follow Kar Lo Yaar goes behind the scenes and into the life of Uorfi Javed, a social media star known for her outlandish outfits, bold appearances and controversies. Her talent – besides creative outfits – is being ‘spotted’ by the paparazzi.
Over nine episodes, director Sandeep Kukreja captures the 25-year-old star’s life, placing his camera in her Mumbai home, at her sister’s residence, in Uorfi’s hometown of Lucknow where five siblings reunite with their mother, at her business meetings, shoots and even on a blind date. Throughout, there is no doubt about how aware of the camera the subject and those sharing the frame with her are.
Whether it is her business managers or her three sisters, Uorfi is the most natural, sharing details of the various cosmetic procedures she’s experienced (the camera even follows her to the dermatologist) to those she intends to actualise, from being caked in make-up to showing off her blotchy and blemished skin. Her sisters, clearly keen on building their own celebrity, are consistently excessively made-up and overly styled. Their one brother often appears amused and dismissive. Their mother says the home runs on Uorfi’s earnings.
Like all families, especially those carrying childhood trauma of an abusive and absent parent, the siblings bond but also bicker like banshees. At several moments, the show feels like Bigg Boss blended with the American reality series Keeping Up With the Kardashians. (There is even a reference to Rob Kardashian.)
Uorfi is well aware of the camera but, to her credit, does not mask her arrogance or narcissism. “I will be one of the richest and most famous people in the world one day,” she says.
While Follow Kar Lo Yaar does give an insight into who Uorfi is when she’s not busy staging a “spotting” for the paparazzi or not designing costumes that aim for “virality, the shock factor, the views”, the show largely comes across as an elaborate marketing vehicle for this ambitious and uninhibited woman. A running theme is her desire to launch a business and achieve unicorn status in five years.
“Nowadays you get respect by earning money,” says Uorfi who admits that she is “greedy”, unlike her friend, comedian Munawar Faruqui (who also appears in the show). The guest appearances include her cheerleader, the fashion designer Sandeep Khosla.
Another unfolding saga involves a collaboration with a fast-food brand. It’s the only time a brand is mentioned by name and its logo and tagline promoted by Uorfi and her team. Else, references to events and certain associations are cryptic, such as referring to a bungled collaboration with someone referred to as “international artist”.
After a point, it’s hard to believe that the scenes aren’t somewhat staged, for instance, when the camera is recording Uorfi’s session with her psychotherapist and an iftar party at the Javeds’ Lucknow home where a PG-13 love triangle situation is created involving one sister and her two exes.
Uorfi tells her therapist, “My career is built on people judging me, making jokes on me. But I have monetised through it. The day there is no judgment, my career will be over.” This kind of self-awareness is unexpected from someone with a massive social media following, but also the kind of insight that makes Uorfi a little less misunderstood.
Follow Kar Lo Yaar is a rather indulgent showreel for Uorfi and her sisters that will undoubtedly bump up their social media following and might give her entrepreneurial aspirations some wings. At the end, there aren’t too many surprises and revelations, but one does get a better understanding of her motivations and yearning for respect.
