A lot of the US Office’s humour came from creator Greg Daniels and his team’s impeccable understanding of physical comedy and comedic editing. In fact, the most die-hard fans would even notice similar shot structure, and framing.

But most importantly, Michael’s catchphrase - ‘That’s what she said’ - is now ‘Baby bhi yehi boli’.Įven the layout of the set is the same, and some of the talking head interviews are word-for-word recreations. Such is its submissiveness, it doesn’t even make an attempt to erase some of the original’s flaws, which, as many of you would agree, is sort of the point of remakes.Īnd so, Michael Scott is now Jagdeep Chadda, Scranton has been relocated to Faridabad, Pam is Pammi, the basketball match between the warehouse guys and the office is now a kabaddi match, and the special Halloween episode is a Navratri episode. Not only is it a (stunningly unambitious) remake, it is a (stunningly unambitious) remake of the worst stretch of episodes it could possibly have remade. Which makes the Indian Office even more bizarre than it already is. The US series found its own voice in subsequent seasons, after it made the wise decision to distance itself from the British show, and chart its own path. While Gervais’ David Brent was an obnoxious little man, Steve Carell’s Michael Scott was infinitely more endearing, an innocent victim of the 21st Century rat race, afraid of being left behind.Īlso read: City of Dreams review: Not a good enough reason to renew your Hotstar subscription post Game of ThronesĪnd as every fan of the Office would tell you, the first season of the American show is easily the worst, precisely because it insisted on being a shot-for-shot remake of the UK version. The beauty of the US show was that it took a very British premise, and retooled it to suit American sensibilities. It’s like one of those ‘strategically planned’ intervals at your local multiplex.Īs a devoted fan of the American Office - at a conservative estimate, I have seen the series, from beginning to end, at least eight times - watching the Indian remake was a strange experience. Confusingly, however, at 13 episodes long, the Indian Office spans the entirety of the first season of the American series, and seven additional episodes from season two, before ending, abruptly and inevitably, without providing any sort of closure. In addition to fulfilling its contractual obligations to Gervais and Merchant by giving them due credit, every episode of the Indian Office unblinkingly remakes its American counterpart, without a lick of imagination.

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