‘ABCD is about a bratty American desi who learns to love in India’

Over the past couple of days, he has “given over 40 interviews” as part of a whirlwind promotional tour and jokes that he can now “guess the questions before they are even asked”. Looks like playing an ‘American Born Confused Desi’ in

ABCD

has turned him into a clairvoyant, we joke. “You could say that... (laughs) I’m also confident that ABCD will be received well by the audience,” says Allu Sirish, beaming.

A remake of the 2013 Malayalam film with the same title, ABCD tells the story of Avi, a “rich, NRI brat” whose father sends him to India to teach him a thing or two about being responsible. Sirish reprises the role of Dulquer Salman, as the protagonist who struggles to cope with the life in India, which is a far cry from the luxurious life he’s used to in the US. The actor says the film’s USP is the father-son bond, which is humourous, serious and sacrosanct all at once. Interestingly, it’s his uncle, Naga Babu, who plays his father onscreen. “It’s a lovely role of a doting father who can’t seem to control his son. So, he packs him off to India, because he believes there is no better university where you can learn about life than India. He
puts his son in a situation where he has no choice but to fend for himself and face the reality of life. Although you see my character constantly cribbing about his father in the trailer, he actually shares a very loving bond with his dad,” shares Sirish.

Gushing about his uncle, the actor adds, “The moment I heard the script, I could only think of him (Naga Babu) for this role. We didn’t have to create any chemistry while shooting — the bond came naturally to us, because that’s how we are in real life. In fact, a lot of episodes from this film reminded me of incidents from my own life and the bond I share with my father (Allu Aravind) and I’m sure the audience will relate to them the same way.”

Rukshar Dhillon plays the girl who transforms Avi’s perspective on India. “Rukshar’s character is a complete opposite of mine. While I’m this American guy who likes casual
dating, she’s a conservative Indian girl who has her apprehensions about getting into a relationship. However, she plays a huge role in my transformation as I begin to see India through her eyes,” Sirish reveals.

A large part of the film is set in the backdrop of slums in Film Nagar. The actor says it was a conscious decision. “If you just erect a set, you won’t get that real basti feel. Thus, we decided to shoot in the slums of Film Nagar to keep it as raw as possible. Not only did we keep it real, we had great fun too. I’m confident that the audience will appreciate our efforts,” he says, signing off.

Produced by Madhura Sreedhar Reddy, Yash Rangineni and co-produced by Dheeraj Mogilineni under Madhura Entertainment and Big Ben Cinemas, ABCD releases today.