Over the last two decades India has witnessed a sudden upsurge of multinationals that have stirred a revolution in the corporate space. Today, the corporate space comes alive with zest and fervour unlike it was two decades ago.
In spite of the endless deadlines and corporate politics there are certain elements that could make one burst into peels of laughter. The Office was originally a BBC production that has gone across shores in 15 countries.
Hotstar India, now takes the opportunity to stream an Indian version of the British ‘mocumentry’, in a 13 part series.
Rohan Sippy and Debbie Rao have directed the series. The series has been created for Applause Entertainment by BBC studios India. The original British series was penned by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.
Cast and crew
The cast includes Mukul Chaddha, Gauahar Khan, Ranvir Shorey, Gopal Datt, Sayandeep Sengupta, Samridhi Dewan, Priyanka Setia, Abhinav Sharma, Gavin Methalaka, Preeti Kochar, Sunil Jetly, Chien Ho Liao, Nehpal Gautam and Mayur Bansiwal amongst others. The series went live from June 28, 2019.
The experience
The series is premised in Faridabad, where ‘Mr. Chaddha’ (played by Chaddha) the rather ‘fun’jabi boss, adds to the comical element. The jokes could be ‘blah’ in origin, but don’t fail to make one smile.
According to Mukul Chaddha, who works extensively with Rohan Sippy, “With the boom of OTT platforms, the nuances of production and direction have changed a lot.
As opposed to movies that have only one director, these series now have three to four directors working together, and yet doing a fabulous job at delivering the viewers a seamless experience. Considering we worked with two directors, we didn’t exactly have a tough time, but totally enjoyed the experience.”
The series tastefully captures vivid and noteworthy elements of the Indian diaspora, giving this version of The Office its own original flavour. Gavin Mehtalaka (who plays Kutty) adds, “I have personally loved the Israeli version of the sitcom, titled ‘Ha Misrad’.
The humour there has well captured the ethnicity of Israel in a corporate, which I strongly believe forms the very crux of all the office series around the world.”
The humour naturally tickles your funny bones, as characters don’t only interact among themselves, but also with the camera delivering their own personal emotional cue to the viewers.
Gopal Dutt (who plays T.P. Mishra) states, “I have enjoyed doing the part of a typical Bihari babu, my character has got a number of shades which indeed makes the part more challenging and fun.”
According to Sayandeep Sengupta and Samridhi Dewan, working as cast of The Office proved to be a fun experience overall. They are now one big family today, and have lots to share.
“Owing to my character, I have become this very positive and fun loving zestful person who looks forward to celebrating the important moments of life each day,” adds Sayandeep Sengupta.
End note
Sometime the office surroundings could be dull and boring. It is time one takes a look at the fun side of the flip side of your work space, and laughs out loud.
