Krutin Patel's award-winning film ABCD ("American Born Confused Desi") is the story of an Indian family living in suburban New Jersey. Madhur Jaffrey (Cotton Mary) stars as Anju, a widow tugging on tradition and reluctant to accept the mores of North American society. Her main goal in life is to see her two children get married to respectable Indian partners. Raj (Faran Tahir) and Nina (Sheetal Sheth) are polar opposites; Raj is the "good son," engaged to a devoted and traditional Indian girl; and Nina is the wild child, rebelling against her mother and all aspects of Indian custom, including only sleeping with white men. Both of their lives change dramatically when they find themselves attracted to the person who they least expected. With a mix of humor and poignancy, Patel presents a compelling look at the emotional consequences of growing up without a firm cultural identity.
Viewer Reviews I half expected this to be an "Indian movie", Bollywood without the singing. It's not. It's a well-written romance/comedy/drama that just happens to be about a particular set of people with their particular cultural issues.
But the issues and emotions conveyed are sure to be shared by anyone who has friends and family with ties to competing and conflicting cultures.
