I’m reading reviews of Hello (which are pretty much universally dismissive) and it occurs to me that it sounds like Bollywood has made a call-center film which indulges in what I was afraid this one might: namely, cultural cliches and glib stereotypes.
Fortunately, this film avoids that. Although told from a definite American point of view, it is very equal-handed on the outsourcing issue, and, most importantly, affectionate and accurate in presenting the Indian characters and culture. It’s a sweet, funny film and everyone should see it. It also made me homesick for India, if that’s possible when you are a gori mem from the U.S.
Todd Anderson (Josh Hamilton) is a customer service manager for a mail-order company which sells American kitsch: “Yes sir, nothing says patriotism quite like a Western Novelty American Eagle statue.”
When Todd’s boss Dave (Matt Smith) calls him into his office and tells him that the department is being sent offshore, Todd is taken aback.
He’s incredulous when Dave tells him that he’s the one who gets to train his replacement in India, but finally agrees. Cut to the Bombay International airport and I laugh.
Been there, suffered through that! He fails to spot the driver sent for him:
and is instantly surrounded by a shouting mob of cab drivers. It’s hilariously real. Intrepid Todd manages to get himself to the train station and takes a train to Gharapuri, his destination. He’s met at the station by a harried man in a suit named Purohit (Asif Basra), who greets him: “You are Mister Toad? I sent the car but you were not there!”
Puro gives him a business card and ushers him into a car for the drive to his hotel.
He tells Todd that he is taking him to “Auntyji’s”—a guest house which is “much less lonely” than the grand-sounding hotel Todd has reservations at. Todd’s protests are ignored, and he is greeted happily by matronly Auntyji with tea and questions.
Auntyji quizzes him in the Indian manner: “What is your salary? Are you married?” and I’m loving it. I’ve had all the same experiences that Todd is, and he’s got that shell-shocked expression on his face that I’m sure I have also had. The next morning Puro drives them to the office. Todd is horrified by what he sees.
Puro explains that because of outsourcing, there is no real estate to be had in Gharapuri so they are building a new office. Inside are a bunch of people talking on phones…and a cow.
Puro assures him that everything is “state-of-the-art”: the computers, the digital phone lines, everything. Todd is struck by a sudden pain in his guts and rushes back to his room at Auntyji’s, where a grim poster of Kali watches over his suffering.
Once he’s recovered, training of his new call-center employees begins. Todd has been instructed to bring the MPI (minutes per incident) down to 6.0; it currently stands at 12:17. Battling homesickness, struggling to get accustomed to seemingly bizarre Indian ways, getting his cell phone stolen and working at nights to accommodate American time zones, Todd gamely forges on but is increasingly miserable.
One day as he leaves for the office, he fails to see a note pinned to his door.
It’s Holi! He runs into Puro, who tries to save him and his sparkling clean starched white shirt from the colors but fails miserably. Initially freaked out, Todd soon enters into the spirit of the day.
Some day…some day…I will play Holi with friends in India. Anyway, Puro and Todd indulge in the festivities, and Todd ends the day by taking a dip in the local river (or reservoir). As he looks around, the enchantment dawning on his face is clear. He’s falling for India: she’s got him in her sights!
As he finally begins to acclimate, Todd changes the way he’s doing things at the call-center. He stops trying to push western ways onto the employees and relaxes the rules: murtis can sit on desks, they can wear Indian clothing instead of western, bring photos of their families to decorate their spaces with. He discovers to his surprise that many of the employees actually like the junk that they’re selling, and institutes an incentive program for getting the MPI down.
As accent training continues, he has them do dialogues from western films. And one night, they make him dance “like Salman Khan!” to “Sajanji Ghar Aaye” from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
One particularly bright woman named Asha (Ayesha Dharker) has obvious leadership qualities, and he promotes her to second-in-command behind Puro. He’s also increasingly attracted to her, and she to him.
But she’s engaged to be married, arranged by her parents, she tells him matter-of-factly. As the days pass and the MPI drops, Todd must face his oncoming departure, which is further complicated by the arrival of his boss Dave.
Can the call center get the MPI down to 6.0? Will Todd go home a changed man? Will Todd go home? Why has Dave shown up?
You’ll have to watch to find out. Josh Hamilton is perfectly suited for his role: he plays Todd as a not-quite-corporate guy, a kind of everyman—which helps him connect to people and eventually thrive in his new environment. I would love to hear what an Indian thinks about the movie; to me, it’s a realistic and natural (albeit condensed into ninety minutes) look at the differences between cultures. The Indian characters and situations ring true, as does Todd’s period of adjustment. It truly is a little gem of a film; certainly it deserves a wider audience than it seems to have gotten thus far. I loved it!
MemsaabStory 