“Through concentration, I can raise and lower my cholesterol at will.” - Dwight Schrute, The Office (US)
Fans of The Office’s US version will wish they, too, possessed Dwight’s unique ability. Ever since The Office’s Indian adaptation released its trailer, cholesterol levels appear to have shot up across the country.
The Hotstar Special released its first season of 13 episodes on Friday, 28 June.
And ?
Well... was it funny at least?
Um, okay.
The Office’s US version was elevated to dizzying heights of popularity and attained global cult status by the genius of Steve Carell who played Michael Scott, the regional manager at a mid-size paper supply company and Rainn Wilson who portrayed Dwight Schrute, assistant (to) the regional manager.
Heck, the show has aged so well, principally because every single character was fleshed out with wit and nuance.
Be it the temperamental Kelly Kapur (Mindy Kaling) or the suited hippie Creed Bratton, some of the show’s finest moments, in fact have come from the secondary characters.
Wait, both these whacky characters are in the Indian adaptation, right ?
Oh man what? NO Creed?
I knew i had reasons to be suspicious of the show.
Alright, let’s rewind a little. I’ve been weary of an Indian adaptation ever since the news first reached my ears. It may have looked something like this.
Now that there is undeniable evidence of the adaptation, what’s the first question about the show?
Nope, there is no “huge difference” that Jagdeep Chaddha appears to be insisting on.
The Office (India) stays faithful to its parent show and each of the 13 episodes is a recreation of some of the most popular episodes from the US version. You have the “Diversity Day” episode, the office fire episode, the ‘Dundies’ awards episode and office olympics among others.
The question then is how does it fare in terms of retaining its own identity while being a near scene-to-scene translation from English to Hindi.
At the superficial level, Scranton becomes Faridabad, Dunder Mifflin is Wilkins Chawla, Kabaddi replaced basketball in the warehouse challenge episode. Even the office look and layout are nearly identical.
At a deeper level, the primary challenge for the show, then, is to adapt the show into an imaginative Indian context - one where the work culture, the character dynamics and the humour feel distinctly Indian. Does it succeed in doing so?
The answer to this requires two separate approaches.
There are two categories of audience who will be watching this adaption - those who have watched the US version and those who haven’t. It is only fair to divide the review objectively in terms of how The Office will appeal to these diametrically opposite sets of viewers.
I fall in the first category. Many like me, who have considered watching the Indian adaptation have received a message loud and clear from the part of the brain that stores sweet memories of the original. That message from the brain goes something like
However, here I am thirteen episodes later.
If You Have Watched The U.S. Version
Given that the show makes clear its intention of taking the word “adaptation” far too literally, what’s in it for those who have already watched the original?
Let’s explore it from the three parameters we discussed above - work culture, character dynamics and humour.
The show’s failure to Indian-ise the work culture beyond cosmetic changes is, perhaps, its biggest drawback. A good illustration of this is the character of the peon in the show, a new addition who does not exist in the US version. While it is common to have someone make tea, move files and run errands in officers here, is not a fixture in American workplaces.
However, he is hardly given any air-time when he could’ve been used better as a commentator on the madness that reigns within the office. (Mishraji’s character in Rocket Singh - Salesman of the Year is a great example of this)
In terms of character dynamics, the influence of the American counterpart on each of the characters - Sarla ji (Phyllis), Kutty (Kevin), Anjali (Angela), Amit (Jim), Pammi (Pam) weigh heavy on each of them.
Gopal Dutt, who plays Dwight’s character - T.P. Sharma, is a rare success. He succeeds in internalising Dwight’s eccentricity and blending it with a distinctly desi motivations of a swadeshi, shakha attending individual.
As far as the humour goes, well this is how the show appears to have gone about its writing:
In conclusion, for millions of fans of the original who find themselves asking if the Indian version is worth a Sunday binge, well, the show’s response could appear something like this:
Those Who Haven’t Watched the U.S. Version
This could well turn out to be a breezy watch for those who do not have the comparative frames of reference with the American counterpart. There is coherence in the broader narrative arc that runs through the season. Therefore, issues of downsizing, office politics and budding romance among characters may work well in this case.
However, even though a classic workplace comedy has long been due, many may be familiar with shows like Office Office and more recently Better Life Foundation. While Office Office explores the inefficiency of public sector offices from the perspective of a hapless citizen, this show is concerned with the dynamics of the employees among themselves.
What could get annoying though is the loud and exaggerated protagonist - Jagdeep Chaddha, written with little variation in his tone and mannerisms.
Agreed Michael Scott was as insensitive and crude with his employees but where Steve Carell succeeds in balancing the boisterous and charming sides of Michael, Chaddha is hamstrung by, well, hammy writing.
Despite the shows limitation with nuance, arguments from the other camp do risk the danger of being accused as elitist and reductive. In parts where it does manage to evoke genuine laughter (Ms. Lovely professing her love for Shah Rukh Khan), it almost seems as if the show is trying to prove a point to its parent version.
So, those who haven’t watched the Michael-Dwight-Jim-Pam version and yet may be wondering if the Indian version matches up to the US one, the show appears to be suggesting...
Sorry to bust that bubble but that isn’t true.
One needs to watch the original to discover how even the opening theme music grows upon the viewer because of an effortless innocence that symbolises the shows humour.
In conclusion, regardless of the earnestness of its intention, the show comes across less as an attempt to offer insights into a distinctly Indian workplace and more as a lazy attempt to piggyback on a wildly successful show.
As Dwight Schrute once said, “Identity theft is not a joke.”.
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