ABCD
Reviewed by Harvey Karten Eros Films Director: Krutin Patel Writer: Krutin Patel, James McManus Cast: Madhur Jaffrey, Faran Tahir, Sheetal Sheth, Aasif Mandvi, David Ari, Jennifer Dorr White, Adriane Forlana Erdos, Rex Young Screened at: Review 2 NYC 11/01/01
A brief scene in "ABCD" exquisitely captures the motif of the movie and, perhaps even more important sheds light on the recent tragic events of September 11. A Manhattan newsdealer who had apparently come to New York from India sees a woman on the street that he recognizes as ethnically East Indian and, in the manner of so many people in our multicultural country, feels no constraint about opening a conversation with her. He asks her whether she's from Bombay, receiving only a curt answer from her because she obviously does not want to be reminded of her roots. He calls her a bitch and she replies that she's undoubtedly of a higher caste than he. When another Indian comments to the newsdealer that he is thinking of marrying her, the dealer calls her a whore and says he'd be better off forgetting about her.
The resentment of people from traditional cultures toward the freedom enjoyed by Americans is a theme torn from the past month's headlines as the U.S. ponders why people from certain parts of the world hate us. What must be particularly galling to the traditionalists is that people who emigrated from their Third World lands to New York and other urban areas have become Americanized, not the least being their contempt of the liberated sexual mores of their landsmen.
This reminds me of the Nov. 5 cover of The New Yorker magazine, which features a frightened Muslim (perhaps Afghan) cab driver, his vehicle overloaded with American flags and stickers. He recognizes that at times like these, the American public most favors assimilation. We want all Americans to be, well, all-American. Family situations are different, however. I can't prove this, but I'd guess that most parents want their kids to marry others who are of their own ethnic group or religious background. Krutin Patel deals with this phenomenon in "ABCD," which is an abbreviation for "American-born confused Desi." The people in the film are culturally displaced. They have been uprooted from their traditional culture while not really accepted by mainstream America. The principal character, one who carries the story beautifully, is Nina (Sheetal Sheth), a strikingly attractive, light- skinned Indian in her twenties who had graduated from an American college and holds a good job. Though thoroughly Americanized, sexually free, she is regularly pressured by her widowed mother Anju (Madhur Jaffrey), who missed her real calling--that of a Jewish mother. She wants grandchildren before she dies and has invited Nina's childhood friend Ashkok (Aasif Mandvi) to family dinner. Though the two young people seem to it it off, Nina has been accustomed to dating white men because she pposes arranged marriages and is in rebellion against Hindu values. In a finely woven parallel plot, Nina's more traditional brother Raj (Faran Tahir) is preparing to marry Tejal (Adriane Forlana Erdos) based on an arrangement made years before, but Raj, whose best friend Brian (David Ari) is white, has his eye on a new, white office worker, Julia (Jennifer Dorr White).
Confusion, confusion, confusion. Who am I? is probably the leading question asked by philosophers, one which has especially broad dimensions in a country like the U.S. which embraces a diverse population from the world over. Krutin Patel has worked a great many ideas into his 106-minute film so cleverly that he easily explores various problems and opportunities that this Indian community experiences. Raj wonders whether he is passed over for a promotion because of his ethnic background or because he is not sufficiently outgoing for the particular job he seeks. He must decide whether to abandon his traditional-minded fiance even knowing that she will have a tough time finding another Indian man to marry her since she is no longer a virgin. He makes a terrific foil for his fiery sister Nina, given a wonderful performance by Sheetal Sheth whose big expressive eyes flash when she is angry and, to the relief of the audience, finally shed tears when she comes to grip with the ways she is avoiding intimacy with the men who love her. The one weakness in the story falls on Rex Young's performance as Sam--who seems too much of a dork to arouse the interest of the exuberant Raj.
As in "Eat Drink Man Woman" we get some exposure to Asian cuisine as Madhur Jaffrey--who has been published for her spicy recipes--gets to tempt us with her samosas so much that we want to head for East Sixth Street for chow (if we're lucky enough to be in New York when taking in this superb film). Not only is "ABCD" a marvel to watch: it breaks ground in being perhaps the first film about the Indian immigrant community in the U.S. today--one that does not treat the South Asian immigrants as though they were all cab driver or people peddling papers at Grand Central Station.
Not Rated. Running time: 106 minutes. (C) 2001 by Harvey Karten, film_critic@compuserve.com
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