For her out-of-the-box fashion choices and what it means to take a stand for herself, Uorfi Javed is a force to reckon with. The 25-year-old social media influencer has put a stamp on pop culture that’s impossible to ignore. Prime Video’s new unscripted reality series Follow Kar Lo Yaar, directed by Sandeep Kukreja, takes viewers beyond what they think Uorfi Javed is all about.
Across nine episodes, Follow Kar Lo Yaar tries to peel the layers off her public image to reveal a free-spirited woman at the cusp of fame and wealth and holding her ground while juggling the expectations of her fans and detractors.
It goes straight to Uorfi’s lesser-known side — her troubled past, her struggle with anger management and her entrepreneurial aspirations.
Though it’s made along the lines of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Follow Kar Lo Yaar has a distinctly Indian twist and the best part is that it shows Uorfi unfiltered. Whether it’s dealing with a last-minute crisis during a brand shoot or moving through the ups and downs of her relationships, Uorfi is always ready with a quip or a comeback.
Follow Kar Lo Yaar leaves no room for subtlety, but that’s precisely the point. Uorfi Javed is not about nuance — she’s about making a statement, however loud or controversial. The series captures this point, showing how Uorfi channels the attention she receives into a lifestyle that is entirely her own. The drama is amped up, the emotions are raw and the stakes are high too as she strives to maintain her relevance in an ever-changing digital landscape. From blind dates to therapy sessions, paparazzi encounters to trial shows, Follow Kar Lo Yaar has it all. Even celebrity guests like Munawar Faruqui and Orhan Awatramani aka Orry make appearances, adding to the show’s star power.
And then there’s the family, particularly her sisters Urusa, Asfi and Dolly, her brother Sameer Aslam, and her mother Zakiya Sultana. Follow Kar Lo Yaar tries to take a docu-drama approach with the elements of a reality show but trips quite often. Her sisters feature prominently, which often feels forced, and too much time is spent on blowing up simple issues, like when the family gathers at their Lucknow home only to be stumped by Uorfi's plan to rent out the house and move everyone to Mumbai.
What works best is Uorfi’s complete lack of inhibition in front of the camera. She is natural, confident and entirely at ease being the centre of attention. A good example of this is when Uorfi decides to get breast augmentation surgery, though her managers and PR team strongly disapprove of the idea.
Uorfi also doesn’t hold back from sharing her insecurities. She breaks down when the organisers of a mega red-carpet event drop her at the last moment but she springs back the next moment with a plan to host a red-carpet event of her own. She expresses the stinging humiliation she felt when a collaboration with an ‘international artist’ went kaput. She doesn’t even spare the producers of her podcast Uncancellable with Uorfi Javed when they share negative feedback with her.
Just as she knows that shocking people with her sartorial style is the key to generating buzz about her, Uorfi has caught on to the fact that showing people what gets to her is the key to steering this show up the charts.
