This film explores a new phenomenon in the global economy. The toll-free telephone numbers used to place orders or get information are often answered thousands of miles away, by Indians impersonating local operators. Whether a New Yorker calls American Express or an English housewife calls Harrods, the calls may be re-routed, answered by Indians trained to speak and even think like Americans, or Brits or Australians
Diverted to Delhi follows a group of university graduates through a rigorous crash course which they hope will prepare them for prestigious, well paying positions in these call centers. Over a three- week period, they will attempt to improve their English language and presentation skills, change their names, modify their accents and put aside their own cultural identities as they learn to speak and think like their international callers. This adds a new cultural dimension to "globalization."
Over 200 of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies choose to service their clients via Indian call centers.This has ramifications on the Western economies. These service jobs have left their countries of origin, contributing to unemployment in the West. But to the businesses who use them, it is an increasingly attractive proposition-- the technology is instantaneous and the labor and set-up costs are low, yet the staff is keen, highly educated and available around the clock.
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