MUMBAI: American movie Outsourced, starring Ayesha Dharker and Josh Hamilton, has won the Audience Award for Best Picture at the recent Stuttgart Film Festival in Germany.
The film is about an American company based in Chicago that decides to outsource its work to India. A call centre is planned in ‘Gharapuri’, a small town three hundred kilometers from Mumbai. Todd (Josh Hamilton), whom everyone in Gharapuri calls Mr. Toad, is sent to set it up the venture. The clash of cultures between American and Indian values, the latter expressed spiritedly by Asha (Ayesha Dharker), is portrayed in a realistic way.
Described by critics as the next My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Outsourced has received rave reviews for its touching subject. The film has won awards at Stuttgart and the Seattle International Film Festival apart from Audience Awards at festivals in Los Angeles and San Jose. At the Palm Springs International Film Festival it was adjudged the Best Film, and also won the prestigious John Schlesinger Award for Outstanding First Feature.
