"Gupta." "Where you been?" "I had a big morning." "I decided by this time next year" "I'll be a big Bollywood star." "Well, that's great, but right now you're late for work." "Oh, really?" "What time is it?" "It's 8:05." "A five, six, seven, eight!" "Gupta." "Gupta." "Gupta." "What are you doing?" "I was just... there was..." "Dancing and flowers." "So beautiful." "Okay, well, I need you to focus on work right now." "All right." "What time is it?" "9:17 18, 19, 20!" "Welcome back, sir." "Did you enjoy your 37-minute coffee break?" "Hey, why's my hold button blinking?" "Funny story." "Jerry's been on hold ten minutes." "How's that funny?" "I guess you had to be here, which you weren't." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Hey, Jerry, sorry to keep you holding." "Oh, Todd, Jesus." "What... that hold music is some crazy Indian nonsense." "No, it's a smooth hit station." "No, it's not." "Wait, hang on, hang on." "Hey, sorry." "I don't know what happened there." "Can't even remember why I called now." "It's like in my ear I hear..." "* Binga-boka, binga-boka *" "Sounds like somebody left some change in the dryer." "All right." "All right, I'm on it, Jerry." "Yeah, fix it asap." "Our customers need soothing music, like Taylor Swift or that Justin Bieber kid." "Basically anything that sounds like a pretty white girl, okay?" "This is our phone box?" "I'm amazed we get any calls at all." " Is that a shoelace?" " Oh, I get it, we're Indian, so everything must be crude and slapdash." "Oh, wait." "That's a licorice." "And that's a baby snake." "I'll call a repairman." "And a mongoose guy." "What are you doing?" "The most beautiful sound was just coming from there." "What?" "I don't take any longer than anybody else." "Show her what you were just doing in there." "But, Todd, she can barely speak." "I actually think she could win." "What are you guys talking about?" "Heard Madhuri singing in the bathroom." "It was incredible." "Oh, good for you, buddy." "I'm Manmeet." "Madhuri has long, dark hair, kind of shy, always wears a sari?" "You know her as "big eyes."" " Big eyes can carry a tune?" " Yeah, and she's amazing." "I think she should enter one of those Bollywood singing competitions." "I checked online." "There's one coming up at the Palace Theater." "I think she could be the next Susan Boyle." "Who?" "Well, she was just a regular person until she sang on this TV competition and became a huge star." "I mean, that could be Madhuri." "This is Susan Boyle." "I think she's kind of hot." "What?" "I'm attracted to talent." "And I like the natural look." "Guy could really grab a hold of those eyebrows." "Give me one good reason why Madhuri shouldn't enter?" "Because it's a fantasy." "It's false hope." "Americans always think anyone can be a star or the president, but Indians, we're more pragmatic." "Come on." "Everyone's got dreams." "What about you, Manmeet?" "Isn't there something you've always wanted to do?" "Well, I have thought about becoming a long-haul trucker in the United States." "Well, that's an oddly specific dream." "I read about a trucker who had three different wives in three different states, man." "I mean, this man is my idol." "My dream job's kind of a cliche." "Oh, rock star, movie star?" " Voice over artist." " What's that?" "Close your eyes." "Go ahead." "Everyone." "Please keep your luggage with you at all times." "Unattended baggage will be destroyed." "Kind of felt like I was just in an airport." "Oh, that's my bus station." "I'm not ready for an airport." "Well, what do you think?" "Would Madhuri enter?" "No way, man." "She'll never get up there by herself and sing in front of people." "Hey, guys, guys, before you leave," "I have an announcement to make." "Don't worry." "It'll only take a minute." "Merriam-Webster describes "opportunity"" "as a favorable juncture of circumstance." "Now, someone here has tremendous talent, and I want to encourage it." "Now, I used to play some guitar myself." "I'm pretty good, but if someone would have pushed me," "I might have been great." "How much encouragement pushes us to the end of this story?" "So there's a singing competition down at the Palace Theater, and if anyone's interested," "I will pay the entrance fee." "And if anyone is a little shy about performing alone," "I will be happy to accompany them on the guitar." "All right, I'll do it." "What..." "No... ♪ Who wants a taste ♪" "♪ who wants a taste ♪" "♪ who wants a taste of ♪" "Oh, jeez." "Shall I call the authorities?" "It appears that a dancing bear has gotten loose in the call center." "Really, he's not that bad." "That was..." "Regrettable." "Hats off." "You picked the one Indian who cannot sing or dance." "Oh, come on." "I don't think every Indian... ♪ Oh I wanna dance with somebody ♪" "♪ I wanna feel the heat with somebody ♪" "♪ yeah I want to dance with somebody ♪" "♪ with somebody who loves me ♪" "Wow, Rajiv, I had no idea." "♪ Somebody who somebody who ♪" "♪ don't you want to dance ♪" "♪ say you want to dance ♪" "♪ don't you want to dance ♪" "Hey, Gupta." "How you feeling about the competition?" "It's coming up pretty fast." "Don't I know it." "Yeah." "Look, I feel like I really rushed you into this whole thing, so if you're feeling any doubts," "I mean any doubts at all, like the tiniest, smallest of doubts, like, even if you hear me say the word "doubt,"" "you don't have to do this." "Todd, does this look like doubt to you?" "I don't..." "I don't know what that looks like." "Um, look, I have to talk to you about something." "When I brought up the competition yesterday," "I was thinking that Madhuri is really talented, and so I..." "Todd, Todd, Todd, I understand." "You know, people don't take me very seriously around here, but you did, and it meant a lot." "So if you want Madhuri in the band, she's in the band." " Gupta..." " Madhuri, you have no charisma, but you may play keyboards." "So, thank you, and you're welcome." "Asha?" "Uh, I was looking for you." "Your fashion sense is one of a kind." "Oh, thank you." "Not the kind that's appropriate for work, but your garish style would be perfect on stage." "Would you do my wardrobe?" "Well, Gupta, when you ask like that..." "Great." "This gig will certainly be a feather in your cap." "Feathers in caps." "Start there." "Okay, so the hold music, think you can fix it?" " No problem." "No problem." " All right." "Great." "Then go ahead." "No problem." "No problem?" "All right." "Let us know if you need anything." "Sir, I cannot tell if you're being deliberately obtuse, but in India it's customary for service repairmen to receive a small sum of money before they commence work." "So even though we have a service contract with this company, we still have to bribe him?" "Bribe?" "That is an ugly, ugly, entirely appropriate word." "Hey, you ready for lunch?" "Nah, I got a situation here." " If you're a hostage, blink twice." " What?" "No, this guy wants me to pay him off to fix the phones." "Hell no." "Don't do that." "I haven't paid one bribe since I got here." "That's not the American way." "Oh, well, we should definitely do things the American way, because we're in America." "Oh, wait, this is India." "Oh, I don't think I have a choice, Charlie." "I got to get this fixed." " I can do it for you." " Really?" "You can handle it?" "Yeah, my dad worked for the phone company." "I got this." "Okay." "We'll take care of it ourselves." "You know, I can also get you free access to my favorite 900 number." "Ask for Donna." "She has a huge, perverted vocabulary." "Like a dirty Tom Clancy." " Whoo!" " Thank you, call center!" "You've been amazing!" "You gonna be all right in front of such a big crowd?" "Could be a couple hundred people." "Ah, please, I played guitar at church on Easter Sunday 9:30 and 11:00." "Bitches went crazy." "Oh, I'm sorry, Yoko." "This is a closed practice." "Band only." "Good luck." "I will see you at the show." " Hi." " Good luck." "Ah, thank you." "You're not in the band." "Ready?" "I was born ready, Todd." "I will win the competition, and by this time next year, my name will be on everybody's lips." "And t-shirts, which I will call gup-tees." "And a line of herbal teas, which I will also call gup-teas." "Yeah, we really need to practice." "Do you know how to play the song?" " Okay." " Yes." " All right." " A five, six, seven, eight." "♪ Close your eyes ♪" "♪ give me your hand darling ♪" "♪ do you feel my heart beating ♪" "♪ do you understand ♪" "♪ do you feel the same ♪" "♪ or am I only dreaming ♪" "♪ or is this burning ♪" "♪ an eter... ♪" "♪ Eternal... ♪" "♪ Etern... tern... ♪" "♪ Eternal... ♪" "♪ Flame ♪" "What?" "So how attached are you to the sparkler?" "Oh, the sparkler sets up the torch." "It's a build, Todd." "Charlie." "Hey, Madhuri, you got a minute?" "It's Manmeet, and, no." "I've got to get to the concert." " I forgot my extra battery." " This'll only take a second." "I told Todd I'd fix the phones." "Come on." "Okay, hurry up." "Let's go." "All right, hol... hold this wire." "And this one." "Okay." "Now touch 'em together." "Are you sure these go together?" "If I knew that, I wouldn't need you." "You look great." "Hello." "Do I have to wear this t-shirt?" "My gup-tee is very itchy." "I know, but we're here to support him." "You know, Gupta's gonna have a night he'll never forget." "And we'll have the same thing." "For very different reasons." "With showtime approaching, how will the band hold up?" "Manmeet, what are you doing?" "Oh, I'm just getting behind the music." "I want to document the happy times before you get ripped apart by fame, drugs, and the crushing debt of starting your own amusement park and private zoo." "Manmeet, you should probably just let them focus?" "Of course, the girlfriend that can't keep her nose out of band business." "Oh, good, I'm not too late to see your hopes dashed." "And, finally, the evil corporate suit." "All right." "It's Gupta time." "Let's do this!" "Hyah!" "Little help." "Gupta, snap out of it." "Let's run." "No, no, we just got to let him get into it." "♪ Close your eyes ♪" "♪ give me your hand ♪" "♪ Darling ♪" "♪ do you feel my heart beating ♪" "♪ do you understand ♪" "♪ do you feel the same ♪" "♪ am I only dreaming ♪" "♪ or is this ♪" "♪ an eternal flame ♪" "♪ say my name ♪" "♪ sun shines through the rain ♪" "♪ a whole life so lonely ♪" "♪ And then you come and ease the pain ♪" "♪ I don't want to lose this feeling ♪" "♪ do you feel the same ♪" "♪ am I only dreaming ♪" "♪ or is this burning ♪" "♪ an eternal flame ♪" "Good morning, sir." "Oh, thank God." "I did most of the repairs myself." "I just need you to look 'em over and maybe tell me why nothing's working." "I know, I know." "Here's your bribe." "Just do it." "I hate to interrupt you abandoning your principles, but I'm curious." "Where did you stable your high horse?" "Todd doesn't need to know about this." "I disagree, but perhaps I could be persuaded." "Fine." "This is highly insulting." "I'm sorry." "I thought you wanted a bribe." "I do, but I am management, not a common laborer." " Hey." " Sorry." "Little more?" " Little more?" " Little more." " Little more." " Little more?" "Little more?" "Little more." "I'm gonna go to the ATM." "I'll be right back." "You were really good last night." "Thank you." "Yeah, you know, their theater's holding another competition next month." "Bet you could win the whole thing." "That's okay." "But you could be living the dream, you know?" "Get discovered, travel the world, have all these girls throwing themselves at you." "Or guys." "Or one special guy who you commit to for life in a culturally appropriate way." "Sir, I'm already living my dream." "I have a great job." "I make enough money to provide for my entire family." "I'm happy the way things are." "Really?" "That's great." "You know, not a lot of people can say that." "Excuse me." "Hey, Gupta." "Todd." "So, last night..." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry I squandered your entrance fee." "I'll pay you back." "No, you know, I actually think what you did was great." "Pretending to choke so that Madhuri had to sing." "I mean, that was... that was brilliant." "I, uh..." "Yes." "Quite brilliant." "I thought to myself," ""why waste my time on a local contest?"" "Let Madhuri have this little victory." "I need a bigger canvas." "I will build my fan base in Germany." "Like the Hasselhoff." "Well, good for you." "Oh, Gupta, just the man I'm looking..." "Sorry." "In front of crowds I..." "Okay, Rajiv, give him a break." "Yeah, I know." "You're right." "Just having a little fun." "Singing in front of people can be difficult." "I know, it was so... ♪ Somebody who somebody who ♪" " * somebody who loves me *" " You've made your point." "♪ I need a man who takes the chance ♪" "♪ on a love that burns hot enough to last ♪" "♪ and when the night falls ♪" "♪ My lonely heart calls ♪" "Key change." "♪ I wanna dance with somebody ♪" "When the night falls you're flat, man."