The Ballad of Sandeep

When his IT job is outsourced to Bangalore, Indian-born Sandeep Majumdar finds himself unemployed for the first time in eighteen years. In an attempt to get his old job back, he sets up a remote access in his apartment, tricking his former company into believing that he is really working from India. His performance is so impressive that the boss of the company—the same man who fired him two months prior—requests an interview with Sandeep to discuss a big promotion.

The Ballad of Sandeep is the culmination of working with many talented people I've known through my life. It marks the third film on which I've collaborated with The Minor Prophets, Philadelphia's premiere Comedy Troupe. Two of the prophets were childhood friends from my hometown in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. Deep Roy and I have been friends since working together on Planet of the Apes in 2001. We later worked together on Big Fish, Corpse Bride and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Over the years Deep and I spoke many times of creating a film with him specifically in mind. The Minor Prophets took upon themselves the task of writing a script to suit Deep as a man rather than as a caricature of himself. When I read the script for The Ballad of Sandeep I knew it was time to make it happen. The story touches upon many truths about Deep. His career is filled with so many memorable characters, however from behind the makeup and costumes we never get to see him as a person. The story also touches upon the aftermath of difficult economic times in the United States. Many Americans have recently faced the harsh reality of having their jobs outsourced to countries such as India. The Prophets, having encountered this reality in their own jobs, turned this idea on its head. Filming took place in and around Philadelphia, PA in August of 2010. Having the opportunity to return to my hometown to direct Deep Roy in this film was quite an amazing and surreal experience. Once production and editing was complete, maestros Mike Higham and Andy Richard delivered a truly diverse and original score for the film. The odd mix of Henry Mancini, Ravi Shankar and Aaron Copland served as their inspiration. I had previously worked with Mike and Andy on Sweeney Todd, Alice in Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. For all of us this project was deeply personal. The Ballad of Sandeep has surpassed my wildest expectations, and I’m so happy to have a chance to show it to the world.