It's not a comedy like most other American-Indian films, if that is what you expect to see. It is one of the best movies I have seen yet - its poignant in a way, none of the other such movies are. ABCD deals with the conflicts that plague both first- and-second generations Indians as they try to reconcile (often unsuccessfully) two entirely different cultures, neither resorting to be preachy nor arriving at a neat resolution at the end of the movie. I feel that to be the reason, many other viewers posting comments here, were disgruntled - but they miss the point entirely. I was lucky to see this movie and have since owned the DVD.
One other reviewer put it succinctly - "ABCD is not only the best Indian-American experience film yet, it is an outstanding movie in its own right. It is a serious, often heart-wrenching story about the family of an Indian widow and her unsettled US-raised children".
This film has positive reviews by NYT and Rolling Stones (not as if, every positive review constitutes a good film), and anyone who appreciates good film-making/acting, serious drama and effective characters will be absorbed by this movie. Go seek it, and do not miss it.
Here are shorts from NYT and Rolling Stones: {NYT} "Krutin Patel's film "ABCD" (the initials stand for American-born confused desi), is the second movie released this year to explore the internal tug of war affecting upwardly mobile young Indian-Americans brought up in this country... Unlike "American Desi", "ABCD" doesn't make light of its characters' conflicts, nor does it try to resolve them with feel-good formulaic solutions... In her flamboyantly emotional performance, Ms. Sheth dares to make her character insufferable much of the time. Mr. Tahir's Raj conveys a dignified suffering that deepens throughout the film and becomes quite touching once the character decides to follow his heart."
{RS} "ABCD, a stunning family drama about cultural displacement, is the extraordinary work of writer-producer-director Krutin Patel, who came to America from India in 1974 at the age of eight. His film (the title is an acronym for American-Born Confused Desi) tells the story of Nina (Sheetal Sheth), a young Indian woman living in America who rebels against the Hindu upbringing of her widowed mother, Anju (the great Madhur Jaffrey). Nina sleeps around, and almost exclusively with white men. Her more traditional brother, Raj (Faran Tahir), an accountant, tries to toe the line by agreeing to an arranged marriage. In this funny, touching and haunting film, Patel cuts through stereotypes to show the hard truths of straddling two cultures."
One other reviewer put it succinctly - "ABCD is not only the best Indian-American experience film yet, it is an outstanding movie in its own right. It is a serious, often heart-wrenching story about the family of an Indian widow and her unsettled US-raised children".
This film has positive reviews by NYT and Rolling Stones (not as if, every positive review constitutes a good film), and anyone who appreciates good film-making/acting, serious drama and effective characters will be absorbed by this movie. Go seek it, and do not miss it.
Here are shorts from NYT and Rolling Stones: {NYT} "Krutin Patel's film "ABCD" (the initials stand for American-born confused desi), is the second movie released this year to explore the internal tug of war affecting upwardly mobile young Indian-Americans brought up in this country... Unlike "American Desi", "ABCD" doesn't make light of its characters' conflicts, nor does it try to resolve them with feel-good formulaic solutions... In her flamboyantly emotional performance, Ms. Sheth dares to make her character insufferable much of the time. Mr. Tahir's Raj conveys a dignified suffering that deepens throughout the film and becomes quite touching once the character decides to follow his heart."
{RS} "ABCD, a stunning family drama about cultural displacement, is the extraordinary work of writer-producer-director Krutin Patel, who came to America from India in 1974 at the age of eight. His film (the title is an acronym for American-Born Confused Desi) tells the story of Nina (Sheetal Sheth), a young Indian woman living in America who rebels against the Hindu upbringing of her widowed mother, Anju (the great Madhur Jaffrey). Nina sleeps around, and almost exclusively with white men. Her more traditional brother, Raj (Faran Tahir), an accountant, tries to toe the line by agreeing to an arranged marriage. In this funny, touching and haunting film, Patel cuts through stereotypes to show the hard truths of straddling two cultures."