Comedy Meets Economy

Outsourced. Everybody in America knows this term. It is what has happened to many American jobs simply because people in other countries are willing to do it for less. The movie, Outsourced directed by John Jeffcoat, illustrates this concept about a call center being outsourced to India.

Starring Josh Hamilton (as Todd Anderson) and Ayesha Dharker (as Asha), Outsourced tells the story of Todd’s experience in Gharapuri, India, and the many incidents he goes through before finally accepting the Indian culture. Todd arrives in India under the impression that he must train the new people and teach them about America, however, he wasn’t planning on learning about India. And while he is there, he learns about something else: love.

This movie takes romantic comedy to the next level by including the culture shock that occurs. When Todd first arrives in India, he is unsure of the customs, from not using his left hand to the idea of an arranged marriage. This movie provides extremely good insight into India and its culture, providing a sense of the real India, especially the more rural India.

This movie was a part of South Asian Week here at Colgate. It was picked based on the quality of the movie, as well as the fact that it is a great portrait of what it is like to go to South Asia from America with no knowledge.

“We wanted to show a movie that encompasses the blend between different cultures which would appeal to an audience here,” one of the current co-presidents of the South Asian Cultural Club, sophomore Ananya Das, said. “Also, we wanted to show a relatively unheard of movie as opposed to a move like Slumdog Millionaire which most people at Colgate have already watched.”

In addition to this, there was a cultural dinner at Frank this past week that was themed around South Asian food.

“We were also planning on brining in a speaker from India who is the founder of Prothom, one of the largest NGO’s in India. However, she had to cancel her trip due to personal reasons,” Das said

.

South Asian Week is an event at Colgate that the South Asian Club puts on every year.

“Our goal is to celebrate our vibrant culture at a very different environment and give that opportunity to people who are interested about the South Asian ways,” Das explained.

Thus, through the events the club attempts to display some aspects that “makes South Asia unique: the food, the colors and movies are represented during various events of the week,” continued Das. The group has been working for about a month planning these events, and has had a very successful turnout.

The movie Outsourced has won five awards, including the Golden Space Needle Award at the Seattle International Film Festival for Best Film in 2007. This is a must-see movie, and after you see it you may want to find your passport and have yourself your own adventure. Rated PG-13 for some sexual content.