At long last, a medical thriller that combines healthcare policy with scantily clad Indian nurses... only from the mind of Robin Cook (via Sepia Mutiny). But wait! You don't have to actually read Foreign Body: it's now a web TV series, fifty episodes in all, each one two minutes long. Brought to you by Honda. The entire low-budget series, in which Cook partnered with Michael Eisner, is pegged to the fear of American healthcare companies, that Indian medical tourism is sucking away precious business. Here's the official premise, from the Foreign Body website:
A group of dangerous Indian beauties, brimming with hope and desire are brought to the sunny shores of Southern California and are promised the American dream. They are taken in by a group of young, cutthroat medical entrepreneurs who hope to train them and cultivate their nursing skills for their own mysterious ends. The women soon become seduced by the brash and ambitious charmer who lords over them, but for him, his lust for the one, mysterious, unattainable beauty threatens to unravel the very conspiracy he built.
But who is seducing whom and what exactly are the women really being trained to do? With freedoms in America they could never imagine, the girls discover they just might get what they want, no matter the consequences or the risks involved.
Take this trip into seduction, murder, and international intrigue. From the exotic streets of Delhi, India to the sun-soaked sands of Santa Monica, mystery, deceit, and romance are around every corner. Witness how this tale of illicit passion, murderous ambition, and the dark underbelly of medicine unfolds and how life will never be the same for everyone involved.
The series started on May 27, so you can easily (and shamelessly) catch up on the adventures of the two Indian characters, dutiful Veena and vampish Samira, who are meant to be from Delhi but are played by Indian-American actresses Pranidhi Varshney and Rachna Khatau. Beginning with the first episode, "Boundaries of Desire," you'll see how they're lured to America by a dastardly cabal of healthcare executives. Here's one initial exchange between the healthcare bigwig and his two sexy American minions, Cal and Petra. From episode 2:
Bigwig: "We lost 27 million in 2006 to this Indian nonsense. But it could be 100 million 2010. Which is going to make stockholders ask questions that I quite frankly can't answer. Now if we don't make progress this year, we're all going to be looking for new jobs. So whadya got for me?"
Cal: "If the American people knew how many patients were infected, sick, or even dying
in these third-world hospitals, I guarantee you they'd stop putting their lives in danger."Petra: "And they'd start putting their money back in Superior Care's pockets."
Bigwig: "Are you suggesting we scare the American people?"
More on the series at the Los Angeles Times:
Not only is the budget, cast and crew bigger this time, but "Foreign Body" is also tied in to the launch of a book of the same name by bestselling author Robin Cook, the author of "Coma," who is a sort of don of medical thriller writers. Cook supplied a story outline and Big F filled in the beats, dialogue and scantily clad actresses. The idea is that the 50-episode prequel will attract an audience, then immediately after the 50th episode, the book will hit the shelves and the story will continue.
Both Eisner and Cook's publisher, the Penguin Group, see it as a pioneering collaboration between two media that haven't yet found much common ground. Perhaps, they say, Cook's fans will be drawn online to see his stories in a new form, and maybe some kids who see the edgy Web series will buy the book. Hey, sounds good on paper.
More at NPR: "Cook, Eisner try new model for online video"
See the full credits here, including US and India crews. Check out lead actress Pranidhi Varshney's MySpace page - she's based out of Chicago and is also a singer. And watch Rachna Khatau's host reel on YouTube.
