Starring : Sham, Sneha

Direction : Saravana Subbiah

Music: Imann

Year : 2005

ABCD marks the triumphant return of veteran director Saravana Subbiah after a prolonged gap. His last flick, ‘Citizen’, was an out-and-out action movie.

In ABCD, Subbiah has shifted gears to make a romantic film. And the change has been for the better as he has managed to craft a good, watchable film on a man and his “Teen Deviyan”.

Of course, ABCD is not a flawless product. The pace is a bit slow and, at times, even dragging. But on the whole, the director has come out with a film that compels attention for its sensitive treatment. The frames brim with a life and energy that arrest audience attention.

If only the music director had risen to the occasion, ABCD would have become a top-class movie. But, alas, music director Imman has let the director down badly. And that detracts a lot from the overall appeal of ABCD.

The film affords a rich glimpse into the time-honoured theme of man-woman relationship and its intriguing nuances and vicissitudes. The other message that ABCD beams is that there is no other place like home sweet home.

Anand (Shaam) is a young man with a heart of gold. A youth on the lookout for a job, Anand believes in doing good to one and all. The even tenor of his life is disturbed when three young women breeze into it.

The first woman who enters his life is Bharathy (Nandana), a restless spirit fired by revolutionary ideas, one who believes in quick results. Anand helps her in recovering the certificates she had lost inadvertently. Bharathy is touched, and falls in love with young man, attracted by his helping nature.

Shorn off her tough exterior, Bharathy is a responsible woman who has to shoulder the family burden.

Then it is the turn of Divya Daisy (Aparna) to run into Anand. And the young man swings into action by rescuing her from a major accident. Moved by his kind-hearted nature, Daisy, who wants to live life on her terms, develops a soft corner for Anand.

Woman number 3 is Chandra (Sneha) who returns to her parents house from an unhappy marriage. Anand, who stays at the same house as a tenant, is moved by the plight of Chandra who had to go through hell in married life. The husband (Saravana Subbiah) is a drunkard who makes Chandra’s life miserable. And finally when the man dies in an accident, it comes as a big relief for Chandra.

Inevitably, Chandra opens out to Anand, who also finds himself drawn to the widow. No wonder, Chandra once again starts smiling as the sun of Anand’s affection shines on her.

The remainder of the film revolves around Anand’s dilemma on whom to marry and how he resolves it.

In the acting department, it is a keen competition between Shaam and Sneha who comes up with a compelling performance as the widow. The gradual transformation of a distraught young woman into one who wants to live a happy married life has been convincingly enacted by the actress with a million-dollar smile. Aparna and Nandana also measure up to the histrionic challenge offered by their roles.

If only Imman had risen to the occasion, ABCD would have become a much better movie. But alas, that was not to be!

At the end of the day, you are left with the feeling of having watched a soft and sensitively scripted human drama laced with emotion.
Reviewed by :www.apunkachoice.com

(Courtesy - indiavarta.com)