Bombay Calling
Encyclopedia
Bombay Calling is a 2006 feature documentary film directed by Ben Addelman
and Samir Mallal
. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada
, Bombay Calling chronicles the lives of young call center workers in Bombay (Mumbai
) India
.
.
LA Weekly
“4 stars...a vibrant, insightful look at young people employed in India's bustling call-centre industry....like an East Asian companion piece to Startup.com."
Eye Toronto
"Analogous to nothing so much as Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross, so vividly does it encapsulate the mug's game of sales.”
Toronto Sun
“Captures the Sense of the cool world inhabited by telemarketers.”
Vancouver Sun
Ben Addelman
Ben Addelman is a filmmaker from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He is best known for directing three documentaries: Discordia, Bombay Calling and Nollywood Babylon...
and Samir Mallal
Samir Mallal
Samir Mallal was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is best known for directing three documentaries: Discordia, Bombay Calling and Nollywood Babylon...
. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
, Bombay Calling chronicles the lives of young call center workers in Bombay (Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
) India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Synopsis
Bombay Calling delves into the lives of a group of young Indians working outsourced jobs at a call center in Bombay. Without focusing too much on the politics, it profiles several characters as they train for and attempt to sell phone services to clients in the UK. The film shows both sides of the impact of globalization on India - the economic benefits, but also the break with tradition and loss of innocence the characters face. By the end of the film, the telemarketing venture has failed but the characters are resilient. For this reason, the film has been compared to Startup.comStartup.com
Startup.com is a 2001 documentary film that chronicles the dot-com start-up phenomenon and its eventual end. The film follows e-commerce website govWorks and its founders Kaleil Isaza Tuzman and Tom Herman from 1999-2000 as the Internet bubble was bursting.-Production:The film was made by...
.
Awards
It won the Grand Jury Prize at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, and Most Innovative Documentary at the Doxa Film and Video Festival. The Film has played at festivals such as Hot Docs, Melbourne and Bergen and received a theatrical release in Canada during the summer of 2006.Release
On August 22, it was released on DVD in Canada by Mongrel Media. National Geographic International has been broadcasting the film on cable television around the world, and it was shown in India on August 15, to critical acclaim.Reviews
"An eye-opening look at the strangeness of an emerging and already conflicted middle-class."LA Weekly
“4 stars...a vibrant, insightful look at young people employed in India's bustling call-centre industry....like an East Asian companion piece to Startup.com."
Eye Toronto
"Analogous to nothing so much as Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross, so vividly does it encapsulate the mug's game of sales.”
Toronto Sun
“Captures the Sense of the cool world inhabited by telemarketers.”
Vancouver Sun