'the office' hindi version: can hotstar pull off a successful adaptation of the mega show?

_Hotstar is now streaming an Indian adaptation of the mega-popular sitcom, ‘The Office’. The American sitcom, which had nine seasons, was based on a popular BBC series also called The

Office. A German, Canadian and Chilean version of the same TV show also exist._ _ThePrint asks:_ ‘THE OFFICE’ HINDI VERSION: CAN HOTSTAR PULL OFF A SUCCESSFUL ADAPTATION OF THE MEGA SHOW?

------------------------- DISMISSAL OF INDIAN OFFICE HAS LESS TO DO WITH NOSTALGIA FOR US VERSION, AND MORE WITH ELITIST MINDSET NANDITA SINGH REPORTER, THEPRINT Show Full Article

Instinctively the answer is no, but I think it’s important to unpack this instinct. _The Office_ (US) is a big part of my pop culture lexicon — through it I was exposed to the potential of

mockumentaries, learnt that workspaces can be eccentric and unpredictable, and grew to accommodate mixed feelings of annoyance and affection for nuanced characters. However, I suspect an

outright dismissal of the Indian version has less to do with our nostalgic reverence for the American version, and more to do with an elitist, English-speaking rejection of

‘desi-_fication_.’ We believe, perhaps rightly based on the standard of Indian television serials, that Hotstar just won’t be able to pull this off. At best, the Indian version will be a

cringe-worthy, contextless recreation of its more civilised, cool and intelligent Western counterpart. But we must remember that even the American version is based on the British one, and

just because white people are making something doesn’t make it better. Urban offices exist in India too, and Hotstar must remember that. The show can be successful if it strives to

accommodate the specific realities of this diverse subcontinent. We can borrow the framework for jokes, but the punchline must be ours. ------------------------- _ALSO READ: Hotstar drops a

Koffee with Karan episode: Should online platforms censor content?_ ------------------------- ONLY TIME WILL TELL IF INDIAN ‘THE OFFICE’ WILL BE A SUCCESS — EVEN US VERSION TANKED IN THE

FIRST SEASON MADHAVI POTHUKUCHI SENIOR WEB EDITOR, THEPRINT The Indian sense of humour is still dominated by Bollywood films, where crass jokes on women, fat shaming, and mocking the

disabled (like _Golmaal_ and it’s ilk) is termed ‘funny’. _The Office_, on the other hand, is a pop-culture phenomenon. It was the show that introduced the genre of awkward comedy to the

masses. It helped shift that genre from niche to mainstream, and gave rise to a whole bunch of other popular shows like _Parks and Recreation_. To mimic its success will be very difficult,

especially in the Indian context. For the Indian reboot to work, it has to convince Indian audiences that subtlety holds substance, which is something parallel cinema has been trying to do

for years now. It is only in the last couple of years have we seen any remarkable change in content. Also, aping the genius acting of the American and UK cast, will be a near-impossible

feat. Only time can tell if it will be a success, because even the US version tanked in the first season. But for that, we have to change our definition of funny. -------------------------

_ALSO READ: With online channels like Hotstar, is women’s cricket finally getting its due in India?_ ------------------------- INDIA HAS ALREADY DONE ‘THE OFFICE’, IT WAS CALLED ‘BETTER LIFE

FOUNDATION’ & IT WAS ON HOTSTAR  NEERA MAJUMDAR JOURNALIST, THEPRINT Not many people know but India has already tried its version of the ever-popular _The Office_. It was called _Better

Life Foundation_ and the first season was streamed on YouTube. It was mildly successful, but better than a scene-to-scene copy of _The Office_ because it had very Indian content — complete

with office politics, unpaid internships, bureaucratic hurdles and a chaotic media. It was a mockumentary with the same eye-to-camera shots and wry humour. The second season of _Better Life

Foundation_ was streamed on Hotstar. But the platform decided to take it down after multiple sexual harassment allegations against Utsav Chakraborty, a comedian and a lead actor in the

series. Perhaps Hotstar thinks this _desi_ copy of the US and British show will be better. However, if just reproducing it is the idea without much alterations, it isn’t working well. The

few snippets I managed to see of the Hindi version were nothing extraordinary, the plot barely holding together the forced characters and the forced jokes. There can only be one Steve Carell

and one Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. In that sense, _Better Life Foundation_ was much better. At least it tried to do something new, even though it was in the same genre.

------------------------- I SAW THREE EPISODES OF HOTSTAR’S ‘THE OFFICE’, WITHOUT A LAUGH OR A CHUCKLE Prashant Dixit Senior copy editor, ThePrint _The Office_ has a very simple, authentic

and universal premise. This universality allows the show to be moulded into any cultural setting, giving each version its distinct flavour. That is how you can distinguish the British

version from the American, or now the Indian version from the rest. But whether or not the people at Wilkins Chawla, a fictional paper company used as a setting for Hotstar’s _The Office_,

will excite you enough over the course of 13 episodes is a matter of personal taste and opinion. I saw three episodes, without a laugh. Or, a chuckle. I don’t expect to roll on the floor,

but I do want to be amused, just enough to care about what happens to the characters. _The Office_ will likely divide opinions and may even ignite a few debates. What it doesn’t seem likely

to achieve, from my limited viewing of it, is a status where its lines are recounted for fun, or its everyday characters are remembered and celebrated by everyday people. (Remember

Mussadilal from _Office Office_?) There’s hardly any element of surprise in _The Office_ because you can easily guess what the characters are going to say even before they say it.

------------------------- HOTSTAR’S ‘THE OFFICE’ CAN BE A SUCCESS IF CHARACTERS & PLOTLINE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF INDIA’S DIVERSITY SIMRIN SIRUR Journalist, ThePrint _The Office_’s characters

can easily be adapted to suit various cultures – including Indian. In fact, an Indian version of _The Office_ holds endless comic potential given the various stereotypes attached to

different communities. Indian people have their own set of idiosyncrasies, and there’s no dearth of writing material. The catch, however, lies in the comedy itself. _The Office_’s

mocumentary style coupled with its awkward humour is a departure from most comedy TV shows, and a far cry from Indian TV serials. It takes a while to get used to _The Office_’s brand of

humour. For Hotstar, running a show like this could be a big risk since the audience for a show like this – if there is one – is very niche. But Hotstar subscriber base may already include

several _The Office_ fans who would be curious to see how the Indian version pans out. It’s a risk worth taking since the show offers viewers more variety in terms of Hindi comedy shows.

Hotstar could very well pull it off if the characters and plotline take advantage of India’s diversity. -------------------------