Attention BPOs

SANGEETHA DEVI K / TNN / Nov 3, 2005, 21:40 IST

Text Size

Small
Medium
Large

Entertainment industry and books alike are trying out a new method to lure young professionals their stories are now set in call centres.

Entertainment industry and books alike are trying out a new method to lure young professionals their stories are now set in call centres.
Case 1: Filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor made a sequel to his much-acclaimed film, Hyderabad Blues, six years after he made the original.
This time, the lead player, Varun, is working in a call centre. The profession of choice resonates with the Hyderabad of today.
Case 2: Pooja (Shama Sikander), who plays the lead in Yeh Meri Life Hai, is a middle class girl aspiring to become a filmmaker. A sudden turn of events lands her in a regular job, even if only for a short time. The chosen job - a call centre executive.

...
...
Case 3: After being given the thumbs up for his first book, through which he took readers into the IIT campus, author Chetan Bhagat is making readers pick up his second book, which unravels the work atmosphere in a call centre.
Case 4: In a new daily soap, Manasi Parekh plays a smalltown girl who works in a call centre.
As far as the television industry goes, it's showing signs of change, and perhaps about time too. Television

scriptwriters are looking beyond saas-bahu dramas and girls-next-door getting a makeover.
While the curiosity factor is high, we'll have to see if there is a substantial effect on TRPs as well. Shristi Behl, producer of India Calling, explains, "The call centre is a background for Manasi's story.
...
...
No one grows up wanting to work in a BPO. It's a transit point for many professionals. While we talk about the work atmosphere, the focal point remains human emotions, which is necessary for any story to succeed.
TV needs to adapt with time. You have to grow out of showing a husband picking up a mysterious briefcase and going out on business."
Telling a story set in a BPO isn't a cakewalk. The background work involves sneaking into call centres to get a feel of the work culture. Both Shristi and Chetan Bhagat admit to have observed BPOs from close quarters.
Says Chetan, "The idea of writing about call centres came from the observations I made while talking to my cousins and sister-in-law who work in BPOs. I formed a network of call centre agents who helped me get into offices at night."
...
...
Is all this effort translating into business? It seems to be. "Corporates place bulk orders for management books and works of fiction that touch upon lives of young professionals and students in B-schools.
"Abhijit Bhadhuri's Mediocre but Arrogant, Chetan Bhagat's One Night at a Call Centre, and Thomas L Freidman's World is Flat are some of the recent titles that MNCs are picking up,"informs Lingam Prasad of Walden.
[email protected]

End of Article