Outsourced (film) - Plot

Plot

When Todd Anderson's (Josh Hamilton) job and entire department are outsourced, he reluctantly travels to India to train his replacement. Arriving in India, he experiences culture shock: he is confused by everything from catching a train to hiring a taxi.

Through his team of quirky Indian call center workers—including his friendly and motivated replacement, Puro (Asif Basra), and the charming, outspoken Asha (Ayesha Dharker)—Todd soon realizes that he too has a lot to learn, not only about India but also about himself. One day he calls his ex-girlfriend in the US only to find that she is with another man. Todd is depressed, but before long he discovers that being outsourced may be the best thing that ever happened to him.

Todd's assigned objective is to reduce the time needed to complete the average call from 12 minutes to six. If his team doesn't achieve this, his boss won't let him go home. Another call center administrator, whom he happens to meet in Mumbai, tells him it's hopeless. He suggests that, instead of fighting, Todd should relax and go with the flow; his life in the process will become easy.

The next day Todd gets caught in Holi, a celebration of colors. He initially tries to run away from the people throwing colored powders and water balloons at him, but he finally joins in the celebration and has fun. He then submerges himself in the village lake and emerges, symbolising his acceptance of the culture.

One night, Todd congratulates his call center on their progress. He asks them what would make working in the call center a more positive experience. Workers ask to bring pictures and figurines from home, and to be allowed to dress as they please. Workers also ask to get the products they're selling. Todd makes a deal that the worker with the best Minutes Per Incident (MPI) will get to pick the product of his choice from the treasure box. He has the manufacturer send 100 products, much to his boss's disapproval. However, when the boss calls to complain, Todd explains that there are a billion potential buyers in India who would love to buy the products. The boss responds by shipping the products overnight.

The products are accidentally sent to another town and street with the same name. Todd and Asha go to retrieve the packages, by car and ferry. Todd lightheartedly asks a statuette of the goddess of destruction (Kali), which he sees on the taxi, to destroy something while they wait. The ferry coincidentally burns up. Todd and Asha have to share a hotel room called the Kama Sutra Suite. They are initially nervous, with Asha becoming furious thinking what would happen if anyone finds out that she is alone in a hotel room with a man who is not her husband. But later, they end up making love.

When they return to work, Asha explains that she has been engaged since age four and asks him to maintain professional distance with her. Todd feels let down. Asha explains her friend's euphemism of a "holiday in Goa". She tells him she will learn to love her future husband like her mother and father did with each other. To this Todd replies that he does not understand how the strong-willed Asha would settle for an arranged marriage. Asha responds that she doesn't understand the US's 50% divorce rate either. Asha confesses to Todd that all her life she had to struggle for everything, from education to work, and always listen to her parents complain "You can't go to college" or "You can't work in a call center". She mentions being elated when Todd said "Asha can do anything" while explaining to Puro why he wishes to promote Asha to assistant manager.

After this, Todd's boss, David, suddenly arrives. When he comes to check on the progress, which was previously just over six minutes per call, they find the call center flooded due to a neighboring farm's irrigation system. Todd has the entire staff move to the roof. The aghast David thinks it is impossible but the now-wised-up Todd replies it may be impossible in the US, but not in India. Over the course of the night, the new operation manages to break the six-minute mark. Before Todd goes off with the other workers to celebrate at the local bar, he is told by David that the company will be outsourcing to China for a much cheaper price. All the employees have lost their jobs and he expects Todd to, once again, travel to China and train his replacement.

The employees don't complain because they will get severance pay, and are expecting jobs in other call centers in India. Puro, however, is disappointed because he won't get enough money to marry the woman of his dreams. Todd, remembering the story of the software programmer who outsourced his own job; outsources his lucrative job at the Chinese call center to Puro, who happily marries with enough money and a great future. Todd returns to Seattle; in the closing scene, his phone rings with Asha's special ringtone, and he smiles as he reaches for it.

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