Calcutta Calling 2007
Distributed by Cinema Guild, 115 West 30th Street, Suite 800, New York, NY 10001; 212-685-6242
Produced by The Cinema Guild
Directed by André Hörmann
DVD, color, 17 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Business, Economics, Urban Studies, Asian Studies, Sociology, Social Sciences
Date Entered: 05/19/2008
Reviewed by Triveni Kuchi, Rutgers University Libraries“Yes, I am calling from Melbourne…,” says the sales representative over the phone while actually sitting in a cubicle in Calcutta, India. This scene from the film perfectly captures the essence of the documentary Calcutta Calling by Andre Hormann. In 17 minutes, Hormann effectively shows how business outsourcing from developed nations has changed the meaning of work, place and time for thousands of Indians. In fact it seems as though selling a cell phone plan or a fire extinguisher in a convincing English accent of an Australian/American/British person is winning for these call center workers. From the very beginning of the film, the necessary untruths that a sales representative so glibly utters and its implications for today’s globalized world stirs a certain discomfort about the nature of work today. Vikhee Uppal, the main character of the film, has adjusted well to this kind of work. However, he continues to live life by his Indian traditions and family values. Vikhee plans to be successful in these sales ventures and wants to eventually become a sales trainer and settle down with a Punjabi wife. In this film, Hormann poignantly juxtaposes a certain artificiality of Vikhee’s vocal and language training lessons with the strength of his traditional as well as “run of the mill” Indian life.