A few months ago, it was announced that the popular sitcom The Office will get its Indian version. While this didn’t sit too well with many fans, a recent press release from the makers state that the Indian version will be ‘funnier and fresh’. The Indian Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, Inc will be set in Faridabad and will be called Wilkins Chawla. And Michael Scott becomes a hapless Punjabi man named Jagdeep Chadha.
So now that we know that the show will be set in Faridabad and is bound to have Punjabi jokes and music for every little scene, we try to imagine the perfect cast for the Indian version.
Michael Scott – Arshad Warsi
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Arshad Warsi in the 90s and early 2000s was known for his comic timing. It wouldn’t be entirely misplaced to call him a versatile actor. Be it a gangster, a bumbling sidekick, a cop, a drunkard who burns with passion for a not-so-simple woman, a righteous lawyer on the verge of losing his mind, there aren’t many roles that he can’t play.
Here, with the lead role, albeit funny, there’s a lot of subtlety involved, something which Warsi has mastered over the years. Taking over as Michael Scott, Warsi could bring in his own charm and humour while also maintaining a deadpan expression. And as the narcissistic, egoistic boss who talks to himself when alone, Warsi might just nail this role.
Jim Halpert – Rajkummar Rao
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Rajkummar Rao is one of the few mainstream actors in Bollywood who is genuinely doing a variety of roles while also being roped in as the lead actor. His performance in Newton (and pretty much every other movie he starred in 2017) stands testament to the fact that he can take over any role and make it his own. While this would be based on the prankster Jim Halpert, something he hasn’t really done so far, it would be fun to watch him joke around and be romantic in the Indian sitcom.
Dwight Schrute – Pankaj Tripathi
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The role of Dwight Schrute, for fans of The Office, something that one cannot imagine without Rainn Wilson in it. The Indian version requires that amount of weirdness that Schrute exudes, something that Indian actors aren’t really known for. But Pankaj Tripathi, however, can be funny when he doesn’t try, like in Bareilly Ki Barfi or Newton or even Fukrey Returns. It would also be fun to watch him childishly take on the prankster in the office by complaining to the boss, the classic Dwight move.
Pam Beesly – Plabita Borthakur
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Plabita Borthakur’s performance in Lipstick Under My Burkha was praiseworthy followed by an equally good performance in short film about pregnancy out of wedlock. From serious roles to giving out the impression that she is subservient, while in actuality she is quite a fireball, Plabita would be apt for the role of Pam Beesly, something that Jenna Fischer mastered. A serious face but smarter than most, and can be fun when she teams up with the love of her life, Jim Halpert.
Kevin Malone – Tigmanshu Dhulia
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Albeit a minor character, Kevin Malone cannot be forgotten. His social awkwardness and strange behaviour when somebody approaches his computer made him the office weirdo, who occasionally makes offensive remarks about his colleagues without really meaning to offend. Tigmanshu Dhulia is often seen as the serious actor in films, the villain whose cold stare is enough to harass a hero. However, in Gangs of Wasseypur, there were bits where his character unwittingly showed streaks of humour, something which would be required for the role of the Indian Kevin Malone.
Indian version of Stanley Hudson – Irrfan Khan
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Stanley Hudson is one of the few hard working employees in the office, and is often regarded as the grumpiest of them, oblivious to what his colleagues have been upto. Not that it bothers him. All he looks forward to is the clock to strike closing time so he could go home. He has also been described as ‘frightening’ but that’s mostly his face. If Irrfan Khan were to play this role, he wouldn’t be entirely out of place given that he is known to give daggers to other characters on screen without really intending it. Plus, who wouldn’t want to hear an employee be harshly critical about his inept boss on camera?
Indian version of Phyllis Lapin-Vance – Urmila Matondkar
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There aren’t many who can do Phyllis’ role. There are very few actresses who come to mind, who can bring in the same sweetness and cattiness that Phyllis brings. But Urmila Matondkar, who has been missing from the big screen for a while, might just ace this one. She used to be classmates with Michael and is often insulted by him, but make no mistake, she’s far cooler than she is portrayed to be. Might be a fun role for Urmila to explore.
