Outsourced

The ubiquitous line “this call may be monitored for quality purposes” comes to life in this amusing fish-out-of-water saga by first-time director John Jeffcoat. Todd (Josh Hamilton), a call-center supervisor for a novelty toy company, is dispatched from Seattle to a small town in India to train the outsourced crew that will replace his staff. The usual cultural clashes abound—tastefully handled by the filmmaker—as Todd begins to understand his new friends and their customs. And, of course, there’s a budding forbidden romance with a beautiful co-worker, played by Ayesha Dharker. Charming, engaging and enlightening, the colorfully put-together Outsourced puts a human face on both sides of the hot-topic issue, but with much mirth along the way.

Shelf Talk: Cross-pollination of Hollywood and Bollywood continues as American filmmakers tap into the ever-expanding Eastern India market. The recent arrival of superb indie Marigold with Ali Larter as a Yank in India and Disney’s foray to the East with The Cheetah Girls: One World are acclimating the market to a genre that is sure to grow.