Maulik Pancholy, of 30 Rock fame, has partnered up with the makers of Rebtel to call out shady telco practices in India and beyond. Rebtel is a new app that brings you an international call plan for only $10/month—and you can call any number in the world without wifi or data.
Call rates from India to the US rise pretty much 100% every summer, so Pancholy, who has family in Ahmedabad, India, partnered with Rebtel to bring awareness to this shady practice. On July 7th, Maulik sat down with us at Soho House to give us an exclusive about this personal relationship with the app and why the partnership made sense.
The Knockturnal: Can you tell me about why you chose to partner up with Rebtel?
Maulik Pancholy: I had been using it anyway, so it felt like an easy fit.
TK: Oh yeah? How did you find out about it?
MP: Just through other family who were doing a lot more international calling than I was. I went to India three years ago and I hadn’t been in a long time. We used to go a lot when I was younger, because my parents had more connections to it, and they’d take us as kids. But I hadn’t been in a long time, and I went back three years ago and they had this huge family dinner where they invited…I don’t know what your family’s like, but we invited 48 people to dinner and we took over the whole restaurant. I just reconnected with so many cousins and family members that I had known as a kid and spent summers with and whatever, and I wanted to stay in touch. And I felt like…do you call internationally?
TK: I don’t often, but my mom does.
MP: Oh, she does? I feel like it’s so challenging. You have to have this calling card and dial like two thousand numbers before it actually connects you…or you have to be connected to the internet and be home or be using your data plan, or you’re paying per call or…like when I have a regular plan on my phone I feel like it’s confusing as to how much time I can actually speak. Rebtel’s offering $10 a month for unlimited calling to India, where you’re not using your data plan, you don’t have to be connected to the internet, you don’t have to worry about extra fees. You just have to do the $10 a month…and I was like, that’s kind of amazing. As you can tell, I talk a lot, but I also feel like in general, the people I know in India talk a lot and when you make a call to India, it’s like “Oh I want to put you on the line with my wife and the kids!” and all of a sudden it’s like there’s so many people you have to talk to. You don’t want to be limited. It felt like a no-brainer to partner up with [Rebtel].
