Outsourced is about the happenings in a call centre set in Mumbai. The office has Indian employees and an American boss.
A sitcom, the highlight of the show, is the Indo-American cultural differences, the difference of opinions between the American boss and Indian employees. The setting is realistic, the office being set in the midst of a busy Mumbai street market. There’s a lot of noise outside, but once you step inside the office, it’s a different scenario altogether. Heavy Indian accents are left behind and a wannabe polished American one takes over. The show deals with Todd, the manager’s dilemma in adjusting to Indian way of life, explaining American culture to his co-workers, his love life, his likeness for a co-worker Asha and the like. It also tackles issues like recession, the nuances of outsourcing jobs among others. One of Todd’s biggest problems is getting people not to pronounce his name as ‘Toad’.
Some may argue that the characters, more importantly that of the employees is typecast, but they are definitely endearing and make a lasting impression. Gupta taking American phrases too seriously, Rajiv trying to outdo his boss at every level, Asha torn between her feelings for Todd and having to settle for an arranged marriage to please her parents… they are fairly real situations that make up for most of our daily soaps. The exception here is that the situations are dealt with in a light-hearted manner. A family bonder for sure.
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