Escaype Live review: A critique of social media addiction that loses its way

The subject of director Siddharth Kumar Tewary’s Hindi web-series is typical of this day and age when people are willing to do just about anything in front of a mobile camera to amass likes, followers and money.

The show revolves around people who operate the Indian version of a fictional Chinese app, Escaype Live, from Bengaluru. The platform enables Indian citizens to post videos showcasing their talents. Based on the quality of their content, they receive diamonds, which are akin to Facebook likes, from the app's users. These can be exchanged for money. Hungry for profit, the firm’s India chief executive officer (CEO) Ravi Gupta (Jaaved Jaaferi) announces a talent contest where the winner stands to take home Rs3 crore. 

The show focuses on a group of participants from different corners of India who are ready to go to any lengths to earn the prize money. 

Aamcha Spider (Ritvik Sahore) has the talent for performing acrobatic stunts and daring jumps. Darkie (Sumedh Mudgalkar) is popular for performing a series of crazy pranks. The 10-year-old Dance Rani (Aadya Sharma), a Jaisalmer native, loves dancing to risque numbers like the 'big girls’. 

Rajkumar (Rohit Chandel) is a transwoman from Benares who needs the prize money to undergo a sex-change operation. They cross-dress and sing under the name Meena Kumari on the app and find meaning in this. They get immense support from their new friend Sunaina (Shweta Tripathi Sharma). Hina (Plabita Borthakur) is a shy waitress at a swanky Chinese restaurant who moonlights virtually as a stripper via the app. 

The simple and traditional Krishna (Siddharth) joins the team of moderators at Escaype Live. He comes in the crosshairs of his manager Gia (Waluscha De Sousa), who toes Gupta's line, on the first day itself. Krishna comes to regret joining the organization which carries out exploitation in the name of facilitating talent. 

Escaype Live captures your attention from the get-go with its timely subject matter. The writers have done well in coming up with a diverse set of players. For most of the show's duration, they have smartly paced out the sub-plots of the various players and the individuals working for Escaype Live, especially Krishna. 

Along with providing thrills, the show also makes one feel for the contestants who will stop at nothing to gain popularity. The show succeeds in holding up a mirror to society. 

The actors playing the contestants contribute greatly to making their respective stories appear real. Mudgalkar is perfect as a cringe-inducing social media celebrity. He makes you wince at times but this only means that he has successfully got into the skin of the character. The talented Borthakur pulls off both avatars well. 

Sahore is equally impressive while essaying his character and executing parkour moves. Chandel shows immense talent as he plays Meena Kumari with utmost perfection. Tripathi is earnest as their supportive friend. Aadya Sharma gives a superlative performance as a girl who has been robbed of her innocence and childhood. But at the same time, you also feel for the actress because she has been made to do the same things the show is criticizing — making kids dance suggestively to raunchy numbers. 

With so much going well for the show, you automatically start trusting it not to falter a few episodes in. The trust, however, is broken right after a point.

While the writers have done a good job of establishing the narratives and various subplots, barring Rajkumar, the stories of the rest of the contestants become complicated for no rhyme or reason. It feels as if the makers just wanted to stretch out the season just for the heck of it. Hence, we are presented with one conflict after another in the last two episodes when everything should be in the process of resolution.

Siddharth’s performance is one of the biggest plus points and he presents a portrait of an honest individual caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. At times, he goes through his ordeal without saying much and communicating through his expressions. Jaaved Jaaferi leaves no stone unturned as an utterly selfish and money-minded CEO. De Sousa gives a mature performance as his immediate junior. 

There is one problematic aspect concerning Krishna, which is difficult to forgive. When his sister goes out to meet her boyfriend. Krishna straightaway asks a police inspector whom he knows to arrest and beat up the guy just because he feels his sibling shouldn’t be dating. Meanwhile he, on the other hand, falls for a girl who supposedly indulges in immoral activities, as per his orthodox thinking. 

On top of that, Krishna also hates the fact that her sister’s boyfriend is a Muslim. Now, you really can’t expect these things from an entirely positive character. This also indirectly gives fuel to the right-wing talking point of ‘Love Jihad’. Furthermore, the whole track about Krishna’s sister has nothing to do with the main plot. 

All in all, Escaype Live is one of those shows that starts off well only to lose its way. And like almost every other series these days, the makers have hinted at a second season, the necessity of which is questionable.

Escaype Live is being streamed on Disney+ Hotstar