Martin Prakkat'S film, "ABCD" (released June 14, 2013)

FILM STORY, IN SARVESH’S WORDS:

Two American teenagers are living the good life in New York.  They play pranks in super hero suits; they buy gadgets excessively and they trash parties.  The pair, Johns (Dulquer Salmaan) and Korah (Jacob Gregory), finally pick on the wrong guy and get into trouble with a gang who comes to their nice suburban mansion and starts shooting at the windows.  The dad (Lalu Alex) and mom get very concerned and angry about the future of these two boys and decide to pack them off to Kerala.  The horrified boys think of ways to have fun when they land like playing on their IPad, hanging out at fancy pools and eating at fancy sweet shops and flirting with girls.  Then they try to use the dad’s credit card but find out from a banker that the dad closed the account.  The banker does not even give them the orange juice that she first offers them.  So the film tells us how these two broke American teenagers have to make it in Kerala slumming their way through college.  I cannot give away everything but the film is really funny like the “Harold and Kumar” films and it also manages to teach you about cultural differences while being awesome and musical. I really liked the song, “Johnny Mone Johnny” – I was trying to rap it as I left the theater.

FILM EXPERIENCE?

Being in Vishakh Theater in TVM was very different from going to the movies in America.  Whenever something funny happened, people hooted, hollered, and laughed out loud.  They were talking to the screen, completing dialogue, and being boisterous which I loved.  Soon enough, I found myself hooting, laughing, and partying it up while my mom explained all the Malayalam for which I needed translation.  My grandpa went and got us popcorn which came in sealed bags and that was yummy.  My grandma was not happy with our seats in the first row but both grandparents were good sports in taking us to this movie.  Thank you, Ammumma-Appuppa! 

WHY I LIKED THE FILM?

Being an American boy in Kerala, this film really spoke to me.  My mom is the one who recommended the film and I was unhappy at first because I thought it would be boring and I really wanted to see “Man of Steel.”  As soon as the film started and I saw the cool teenagers running around in the Spider Man suit and saw the New York skyline, I felt at home. I was born in New York and I felt that the movie was going to be filled with surprises because it did not come across as a typical Malayalam romance.  It felt more like Bollywood, like “Dhoom 2” which I like a lot. The more I watched it, I found myself entranced and asked my mother for every sentence along the way and wished I could follow Malayalam better. 

HOW MANY THUMBS UP?

This film is adipoli – I think people would have a blast and I say you should watch it in a theater in Kerala. Personally I would not recommend it to some friends because they are the kind that like Hollywood action thrillers only and do not understand movies with messages.   But I think a lot of people will be pleasantly surprised at how much they like this movie even though it is not really their cup of tea. What I find interesting is that most of the children I meet in Kerala drink tea, or chaya as they say it here!