Ben Addelman and Samir Mallal's documentary Bombay Calling focuses on the rise of India's telemarketing industry, a new business environment that has radically changed India's economy, bringing a rush of young English-speaking people into jobs that require patience, clear diction, and persistence. The work translates into long hours, but also comes with a lucrative payoff in salaries that are substantially higher by India's standards (the new telemarketers also seem to have spun their own subculture, with exuberant after-hours partying at all-night discos). For American viewers, the film's subject may come as a surprise, since many people are aware of India's telephonic presence only from customer service call centers, not as proactive telemarketers pushing products and services on consumers. But here the target market is Great Britain, which apparently has less stringent regulations regarding telemarketing than the United States. Bombay Calling works best when it captures the euphoria expressed by telemarketers (whoops of joy and high-fives) after British consumers agree to purchase high-priced items—a reminder that the psychological rush of selling is universal in both Western and Eastern countries. Oddly, the film uses the formerly-known-as-Bombay in the title, but perhaps that's because few would be able to guess the subject matter of Mumbai Calling. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)
Bombay Calling
(2006) 150 min. DVD: $14.98. Mill Creek Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). Volume 23, Issue 1
Bombay Calling
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