Jaaved Jaaferi on 'Escaype Live': "There is a world in the frame of the app and a world beyond it"

In 'Escaype Live', Jaaved Jaaferi plays Ravi Gupta, a dynamic corporate who also has to deal with internal conflicts. (Image: Screen grab/Disney+Hotstar trailer)

Jaaved Jaaferi is light on his feet and quick with wit and a joke. On his Instagram account, the actor, dancer, impressionist and TV host describes himself as a “Biodegradable Entertainer”. As a singer, he's made phrases like ‘eggjactly’ and ‘I am Mumbai’ iconic. One of the hosts of Boogie Woogie, he’s encouraged generations of passionate dancers. He’s been the narrator for Takeshi’s Castle and acted in a range of movies and shows including Bombay Boys, Jajantaram Mamantaram, Salaam Namaste, Double Dhamaal and Never Kiss Your Best Friend.

In the upcoming science fiction thriller Escaype Live (on Disney+ Hotstar from May 20, 2022), 58-year-old Jaaferi plays the business head of a tech company pushing numbers on its popular app. The web series also stars Siddharth, Shweta Tripathi and Plabita Borthakur.

Jaaferi shares insights into his latest show and explores overlaps with Boogie Woogie and Takeshi’s Castle.

We have had 'Squid Game', 'Hunger Games', 'Black Mirror' and now 'Escaype Live' where technology and contests tap into some core human emotions and values. According to you, what are the themes covered by the series?

It is very vast. Not everyone on social media and these kinds of apps is looking for escape. Some do want to escape reality whereas others want to achieve fame, fortune and acceptance.

In Escaype Live, we focus on a few core participants who are vying for the final prize. We see their aspirations as well as their fears and insecurities. One of them is a 10-year-old girl from a small town in Rajasthan who loves attention. Her uncle is looking for money and he sees that the girl’s talent can be a source for improving his fortunes. In Banaras (Varanasi) we see the love story of a girl and boy, the peer pressure, misogyny, etc. Another contestant is a Mumbai boy who is a free-runner and does parkour. He takes physical risks just to be accepted. Another girl uses her body and beauty to attract people. Like everyone, she has a life outside the camera lens and frame, one that is unseen. The Delhi guy is like Reggie Mantle from Archies comics, but on steroids. He goes dark.

I play Ravi Gupta who is a numbers guy. He’s dynamic, corporate but he also has to deal with internal conflicts represented by one employee, played by Siddharth.

The show explores how there is a world in the frame of the app and a world beyond the frame – what lies beyond what you see in the frame of a phone’s camera. It’s a wonderful story that does not preach but tells you what these worlds are about.

You were the narrator on a televised competition called 'Takeshi’s Castle' where players are engaged in some physically challenging tasks. There’s that show on one hand and 'Escaype Live', which is also a contest based show, on the other. How would you compare the two?

That’s a very good analogy. With Takeshi’s Castle, I never knew what the prize was and who was winning what. What I did know was that each person was enjoying the falling, tripping and banging with full aplomb, and laughing with it too. But in this new show, the competition is extremely intense and going into dangerous zones.

Takeshi’s Castle was a wonderful show which did not have a known time or space. You don’t know where it is, when it is and each contestant is in his or her unique costume in a mad world, led by this general. Escaype Live is very contemporary, identifiable and much more cutthroat. It is a story about Gen Z. The director Siddharth Kumar Tewary had done all the research into the apps, the contestants, what they do, think, want, the likes they get, their followers. He also met some so-called ‘influencers’ though, to be honest, I don’t know what they are influencing. The stories that are created are totally identifiable.

Still from 'Never Kiss Your Best Friend 2'.

The pre-teen young girl wants to be a dancing star. Did her track resonate with you in some way given your association with 'Boogie Woogie' and 'Boogie Woogie Kids Championship'?

Yes, of course. We spent 17 years of our lives with this show, seeing India, meeting participants who came from various socio-economic backgrounds, religions, languages and states. It was a huge opportunity, an integral part of my life, and the first real talent showcase for children. The children came with their parents and there are safety protocols, etc., put in place. But on an app, kids can do anything. They can be on their phone and go wherever and do whatever, unless the parents see them and curb them. Sometimes the parents also get ambitious, which we saw in Boogie Woogie also. They push their children and play out their ambitions through their children. This part of the script of Escaype Live was totally identifiable and well-researched. The little girl represents a chunk of the population where elders can be pushy which can be bad for the child. In fact, each character represents a reality segment of our population.

Were most of your scenes in the control room, as we see in the trailer?

Yes, we are in the control room. We live in that office. The only person’s home we go into is Siddharth’s, because there is a story there. The rest of the stories are about the people on the screen. For my character, they are just numbers. He’s under pressure to get the best numbers and meet targets.

What are your upcoming projects?

There is Jaadugar, a film based in a small town that deals with conflicts within the town. There’s also magic and some football in it. I am also playing the lead in Tumbaad director Rahi Anil Barve’s Mayasabha, which I think is the best performance of my life. Then a few other web series are also happening.