English Vinglish

In a scene from English Vinglish, Shashi is described by her husband as someone who was born to cook and make laddoos. All Sashi does in response is look up smiling even as her eyes firmly question the utter lack of respect for her as a human. English Vinglish is a sum total of such subtle moments that touch a chord without overwhelming and preaching.

Sridevi is Shashi, a maharashtrierian housewife and mother of two who is not given enough respect in her family as she can't speak English. A marriage in the family takes Sashi to New York all alone where she decides to learn English through a four week classes set. Through the language, she learns to respect and love herself, how she does that is the crux of the story.

Debutant director Gauri Shinde uses every trick in the book to tug at your hearts. Precocious kids, Indo-Pak friendship on foreign shores, gay support , every cliche thinkable is in here. Yet, she infuses them with subtlety and warmth converting them into moments that make one smile.

English here is a metaphor, not the destination but a means to regain the respect that sometimes gets lost in relationships, be it parents and kids or spouses. That language need not be a barrier to understand people is also exemplified in the tender moments where Sashi and the french Lorvent speak to each other in the resepctive native languages and yet understand each other thoroughly.

Learning English is Sashi's way of finding her way back into her life, of finding her self worth back and as she says in the climax to regain the balance in her marriage. The narrative is light, sensitive and does not at any point remotely try to preach. Things get a little stretched post interval where the picture suddenly starts resembling Mind Your Language, but then a rivetting Sridevi makes up for it.

That brings us to Sridevi herself. As Sashi, she is vulnerable, cute, warm and immensely determined at the same time. Sridevi wins your heart over in the very initial scenes and from then on, you cannot but marvel at how beautifully she conveys a woman who though clad in cotton saris all the time is as modern in her outlook as one can be.

With a permformance that is nothing short of perfect, Sridevi shows that the only difference age makes to an actor is to give layers of experience to every twitch of the eye, every smile and gesture in front of the camera. Sridevi the actress, the woman is the focus here not the star and the director does well to not let her break into a trademark dance number just to live up to her image.

Watch her in the scene where she is elated at being called an Enterpreneur for the first time in her life, and you know that Sridevi is a class act.

English Vinglish also wins because of a beautiful supporting cast that enables Sridevi rise above the rest without overpowering them. Then there is Amit'smusic that underscores every emotion and nuance perfectly. Watch this one for some simple storytelling and undiluted honest performances.

One can truly say that one went in without any anticipation or excitement. The only motto being '....a good movie is a good movie' - irrespective of the cast.

Having stated the above, may one be now permitted to say WOWWW!!!!!

No jhataks, mataks, no rain-drenched 'clad in chiffon saree' scenes, no squeaky, shrill dialogues...... just a superfine performance from Sridevi. A fine performance because, clich\xe9d as it may sound, Madame Sridevi let her eyes do most of the acting.

Excellent casting, simplicity of the theme, simplicity in the dialogue - a lesson on how a film can be sweet, funny, bring a tear to the eye AND not be boring, not be over the top - not for a moment.

Kudos to Gauri Shinde and her team, most of all for keeping it real.

The story is quite simply that of a housewife's step out of her comfort zone to learn English, a step towards earning attention and respect in a world that puts way too much emphasis on 'English-Vinglish'.

Commendable support from the huge cast, each holds their own - none of them drowned out by the persona of Sridevi.

Dare one say that this film may lead to :

A. the sprouting of English speaking institutes (no opinions volunteered here)

B. the return of the saree, especially the printed cotton ones. Beautiful!

One confession though..... there is a hint of the famous 'jhataks-mataks' but really, in the film's defence, in the context of a 'shaadi'. That is the truth, really.

So before one happily goes on and on, lets just get to the bottomline - go see the movie !

There are two things you have to get comfortable with before you start enjoying this film. One is what Sridevi has done to her face and the other is to hear her heavily accented Hindi since she is supposedly playing a Maharashtrian from Pune.

Shashi's life revolves around her husband Satish (Aadil Hussain) and two children. Sarcastically mocked at her English by her husband and her daughter, Shashi is the face of countless married women who are not given the due respect that they deserve. Even her small independent business of making ladoos is used as a joke by her husband. At one point she even asks him "why did you marry me? Why didn't you marry a modern woman?". Her life changes when she travels to New York alone for her sister's daughter's wedding where she discreetly joins a 4 weeks English speaking course.

English Vinglish is a perfect family film that needs to be seen by husbands and teenage kids. It is a tribute to the unsung homemaker. Using English as a basic conflict director Gauri Shinde makes a scathing comment on the art of domesticity.

The message is, Husbands next time you make fun of your wives be sensitive enough to observe how much it's hurting her and what your children are picking up from your behavior. It is the everyday behavior that builds or break a relationship and this is beautifully set up in the film.

It is so perfectly cast that even Sridevi's accented Hindi does not bother you. Priya Anand's lovable portrayal of Radha is what Shashi's daughter is not. It came across as if a child brought up in America was much more sensitive and respectful towards their parents.

Even though the scenes in the English speaking course might remind you of the series Mind Your Language the actors makes it appear fresh and humorous.

Gauri Shinde touches upon the forbidden fruit romance between Shashi and the French guy Laurent (Mehdi Nebbou) from the class but beautifully ends that part with one line which is one of my favourites in the film. I am not looking for love. All I want is some respect says Shashi to sum up her feelings for the French guy.

Along with this the line which was the film for me was "only when you stop loving yourself you fall out of love with things around you".

It's these subtexts that makes English vinglish such a refreshing feel good film and to top it all is Sridevi who makes you feel for her character at every point in the film. Your heart goes out to her in the beginning and stays with her right till the end and even when the film is over.

Gauri Shinde makes a respectable debut and is a much better filmmaker than her husband R. Balki.

Word of mouth - English Vinglish is for the entire family. A tribute to wife, mother and home maker in every woman.

Rating - **** (very good)

Ticket meter - worth 250 bucks.

In a season full of comebacks, one that has already generated great buzz is Sridevi's return vehicle, English Vinglish. With some good songs & decent promos, how does this one fare?
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This ones a slice of life film that is backed by a knockout Sridevi performance.

Shashi Godbole (Sridevi) is your quintessential housewife who takes care of the kids, cooks superb food & is a doormat for her husband. Her biggest issue is that she isnt good with English. Her kids make fun of her, her husband belittles her & when she goes to America for a wedding, she decides to learn the language. The film deals with her rise, her relationships with her classmates & a rightly underplayed innocent, romantic track between her & Laurent, a co-student.

The movie is filled with cliches but when the genre is such, you can get away with it. The narrative dips at any many points & some parts are really filmi, but for most of the journey, it holds its ground.

The real star and backbone of this film is Sridevi. She emotes beautifully & it only feels like yesterday when she last did her last film. 15 years have gone past but the acting finesse hasn't.
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Amitabh Bachchan pitches in with a hoot of a cameo.

Director Gauri Shinde weaves a good product & will leave most people with a smile on their faces. My only issue is that though its all heart, it lacks a bit of soul.

To sum it up, watch English Vinglish for a spirited Sridevi show, a beautifully sent out message & a perfect Sunday evening with the family. Watch it with your mom for added effect.

There are a couple of moments in the first 15 minutes of the film that nudge you to catch this film's storytelling frequency. A typical household is introduced where it is a daily chore to look down upon the wife/ mother - Shashi (Sridevi). The husband while talking to his friend on the phone doesn't remember what the wife's name might be. Shashi chips in and mouths the name. Strike one. Then comes the first major plot point that makes the story cross the first threshold. Shashi has to travel to the United States of America for her sister's daughter's wedding. Holy shit. No, she doesn't have to go because her sister is dying or any other sterile dramatic development. It is something that probably your mother would go for. Strike two. If you tune yourself appropriately, you're in for a treat. Actually I can't think of a reason why tuning would be difficult here. Sridevi's presence changes the manual setting to automatic without much effort. If you still aren't able to go the distance, Amitabh Bachchan might just lend a hand.

Shashi Godbole has always been made to feel inferior. Mainly, due to her inability to speak English. Her talent of making delicious food (including laddoos) is a duty, not an art. Soon, not only does she enroll in an English-speaking course, she also learns to live a little. This is one of those films that manage to create a world which don't tell a story and ask you to catch up with it but invites you to be a part of it while it shows a story. A good host like Shashi (who also gives a return gift, mind you), I'd rather give in to her than a filmmaker prostituting with various tools for my intellectual participation. There is nothing filmic about it, no theatricality. In all fairness, I wouldn't call this film real or authentic either but I would definitely call it intimate. This genuine, snug touch can't be faked, it isn't created by introducing characters but by making us meet them.

Oh yes, there are numerous clich\xe9s and stereotyping. From a Hispanic maid to a flamboyant homosexual to a Pakistani taxi driver. There are even some traces of the widely watched TV series - Mind Your Language, which was successfully remade into Zabaan Sambhalke for desi viewers. But never do these become hindrances. Never do they jar your experience and throw you out of this cozy den. Amit Trivedi's music (He is the best young musician in our country today) also adds to this warm aura. I'm also glad this wasn't a Punjabi family with a customary Punjabi wedding song at the end (I'm a Punjabi who will be the first to dance at those Punjabi songs but I do like something novel. You feel?) Navrai Majhi is a wonderful Marathi song; equally fun are the title song and Manhattan.

The character of Shashi is the pivot of this film. Sridevi's wafer-thin voice corresponds with the character, she is famous for being over the top but her reserved mannerisms make Shashi a believable character. I can't imagine any mother in the audience not rooting for her. When she is demeaned (husband thinks it's a compliment), she actually smiles. She rarely retorts. Whenever she does, they are more like defenses than attacks. You could argue that people don't generally do that. Most people would at least react. All I can say is I'm glad I'm not watching *that* film. I'm only going to mention the romantically prudent sub-plot between Sridevi and Mehdi Nebbou and not ruin it by calling it delicate or intricate. It's all on screen for you to savor.

In the final act of the film, which I believe is the real winner, comes the major obstacle before the apotheosis. Even if I reveal what it is, it wouldn't be a spoiler. It's got something to do with laddoos. In a lesser movie, (like the one that released last week which I refuse to review, oh my god!) the climactic speech would seem heavy-handed and preachy. But here it isn't just a part of the plot but also makes you want to applaud. Strike three. In a lesser movie, I would have called this lazy and shoddy writing but Gauri Shinde handles it with dexterity, I only wish more films were directed by women. English Vinglish also happens to be quietly progressive and intrinsically feminist. Not showing off about it, just knowing it and being it. Strike three. Again. I would recommend this film in a heartbeat. It is a rare achievement. Go on ladies, go have an affair to remember.