Film: ABCD
Director: Martin Prakkat
Cast: Dulqar Salman, Jacob Gregory, Lalu Alex, Aparna Gopinath
The name says it all. He is an American Born Confused Desi (ABCD). Johns (Dulqar Salman), in his early 20s, loves loud music, girls and partying round-the-clock. There is always an adrenaline rush around him with gun-wielding villains chasing him all the time. He has a 'Fevicol' friend, Kora Murikken (Jacob Gregory), a clichéd version of a filmy buddy with low IQ and funny looks. And yet, he is capable of cracking some of the wittiest jokes and guiding his crazy pal out of chaos.
The two friends are cunningly lured by Johns' Kerala-born parents, who primarily want to teach them a lesson or two about the value of money. It is easy to sympathise with the ‘poor’ crorepati parents, after all their son’s monthly expenses cross `11 lakh.
After letting the viewers peep into the adventures of the spoilt rich kid, director Martin Prakkat tries to ‘expose’ breakingnews-hungry mediapersons. All this is packaged with a pinch of sarcasm, campus life, protests and Malayalees’ favourite subject, politics. The duo, trapped in Kerala on a `5,000 per month allowance and in a mosquito-infested house, is forced to live and learn life the hard way.
They create ripples with their fraudulent ways and win the hearts of people. They ‘show the way’ for the youth, ‘struggle’ for marginalised people’s land rights, and become a rage. Soon their lives catapult into a mess and the second part of the movie takes some dramatic twists.
Humour is the highlight of ABCD. Martin Prakkat, who rose to fame with his first film Best Actor starring Mammootty, teams up here with the actor’s son Dulqar and manages to pull off an average entertainer.
Though Dulqar has nothing in the script to challenge his abilities, he fits his role well. This is not the first time he steps out of the posh house to discover the hard realities of life. He did it in Ustad Hotel which won a National Award last year. Jacob Gregory’s performance is a revelation. He gels perfectly with the character and his screen chemistry with Dulqar is exceptional. The duo has some similarity with the Mohan Lal-Sreenivasan pair which acted in evergreen comedies like Nadodikattu and Pattana Pravesham in the ’90s.
Aparna Gopinath, a theatre artiste from Chennai, has a strong presence in the film. Lalu Alex as John’s father Issac has done his part impressively. The technical side of the film is excellent with Jomon T John capturing colourful visuals. Gopi Sundar’s songs are good. The movie sprinkled with hilarious one-liners will impress youngsters.
The verdict: ABCD is an enjoyable entertainer.