English Vinglish

English Vinglish is a beautiful journey that a middle class Indian housewife takes, to regain something she lost or probably never really got, ironically enough, in a foreign land with a foreign language as a tool.

The movie has a simple plan, and audience gets to know about it right at the beginning. There ain't any surprises or twists therein to wow you, its purely the execution of a simple yet universally appealing plot that makes English Vinglish one of the most beautifully made movie of the year.

This is a sort of cinema which has traditionally been oiled with loads of melodrama and any director would have wanted to do that considering the fact that people who are going to relate the most with the central character are most prone to be pleasantly affected by the overdose of melodrama ( Yes, I am being a little 'judgemental' here!). Credit must go to Gauri Shinde for shunning the temptation and going ahead with a recipe where she was able to create delight out of right mix of ingredients rather than putting a coating of sugar on the 'laddoos'.

Make no mistake, the feel good factor of the movie isn't there just because all the pieces have been put together in the correct order but also because there are layers attached to the story and the characters. These layers help English Vinglish surpass the expectations that an ordinary viewer would have had with it before stepping into the cinema theatre. These layers have been treated with utmost care and are interwoven in the script with great skill. Even though the plot of the movie doesn't encapsulate many genres, the scenes are successful in generating a range of emotions. Thanks to the central plot, humor becomes a part of majority of the scenes and it is never forced upon you.The entertainment quotient of EV is way more than one would have expected.

There are a few sequences which could have easily gone in the zone of 'Oh, thats ridiculous!' but yet they were right there in the 'that will do all right' category and this was only possible because of masterful Sridevi who hasn't lost even an inch of her charm and she still stands way ahead of any of the contemporary actresses when it comes to the art of acting. Her presence is so overpowering that one hardly notices or gets annoyed by certain instances of manufactured dialogues and stereotypical display of characters. The journey, the transformation and its impact on the movie and the audience wouldn't have had half the quality had there not been Sridevi at the helm. Every other actor (and guest actor) plays their part well enough to create the right garnish for this savory meal.

Without taking any credit away from Gauri Shinde, everything from costumes, to music and locations to screenplay had impressions of R Balki's(producer) previous works and he would have been of great help in the making of EV as well.

The affect that English Vinglish will have on a particular individual will depend on the relationship that he/she has with the one/two women that hold the most important place(s) in their lives. The degree of impact will vary, though one thing is for sure, it will only lie on the right side of the axis.

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"English Vinglish" is a film that only a woman could have made. Gauri Shindi lends her feminine sensibilities to the film which is why it is a big success. She captures the nuances in a typical Indian housewife's tryst with her kids and husband.

Although there is no true villainous character in the film, it is painful to see the leading lady Shashi (Sridevi) suffer unintentional humiliation at the hands of her teenage daughter and husband because of her inability to converse in English.

It is very satisfying to see her grasp the basics of the English language and thereby gain self-confidence. Her English class has an interesting mix of students from across the world including a Frenchman who is besotted with her.

The feel-good nature of the film can be attributed to the final scene in particular in which Shashi delivers a thoughtful speech in English. Loved the film but didn't think too much of the soundtrack, especially the track "Manhattan". Also felt that her experiences with people in America were sugar-coated.

Nonetheless, the film was worth its time. I'm looking forward to introducing my mother to this film.

For someone who has been born and brought up on English medium schools, and I don't say this proudly, but for whom English is his first language of thought, it is very hard to put self in Sridevi's shoes. Someone, who doesn't know English, but in all other ways is very competent. Someone, who is constantly the butt of family jokes and jibes, especially by the husband and the rapidly growing daughter. That the film succeeds in making us feel her angst, and her ways of coping with it, showing the kind of situations she encounters, especially when she goes to New York, is a tribute to the story and the performances, especially the virtuoso acting masterclass by Sridevi, who shows, in more ways than one, that she's still got it !

The debilitating effect of not knowing the language is brought alive by her mispronounciation of 'Jazz', a visit to her daughter's PTA, her solo trip to New York, handling immigration, her ordeal there buying coffee and various snide ones by both her husband ('She is born to make laddoo's') and her daughter ('Why did you take my book if you cant read ?'). Redemption arrives when she decides to take English lessons, while in New York, visiting her sister to help with her niece's wedding. She finds unlikely allies in the sister's house and a gallant, romantic French fellow student. And suddenly, life is not so bleak anymore.

The film tries hard not to get too sentimental, balancing every tear with a chuckle or a smile. Amitabh Bachchan's delightful cameo, the other madcap students in the English class, none as zany as Salman Khan, the Pakistani, the cheerful nature of her son, her own special, sari-clad Michael Jackson impersonation, all serve to smoothen out the various trials and tribulations thrown her way.

Sridevi makes you root for her, getting her every expression, every frown, every smile spot on. Most of the other characters are stereotypes – the busy, indifferent husband, the cute son, the gallant Gaul, the bombastic Pakistani etc. But she has shades to her character, moments of weakness followed by instances of strength. Waffling indecision followed by gutsy action.

Isn't life about communication, rather than the language ? About the message, rather than the medium ? When / How did we get so snobbish about how different people speak, their accents. As the film rightly asks, why have we become so judgemental merely based on the persons attire, language ? Surely there is more to life than that ? More at www.apurvbollywood.blogspot.com

"If we don't love ourselves we use to attract towards new things but as soon as we began to love ourselves we feel confident and old things look prettier again." This is one dialogue from the movie's lead protagonist which teaches how one can come back to his normal life; English Vinglish is a sweet Laddu with almonds of a logical script, cashew nuts of nice music, raisins of love and pistachios of Hope. English Vinglish is not about just English classes, it's just a metaphor or platform to narrate a simple yet very effective story of self determination, self respect and love about family and love about ourselves.

English Vinglish is undoubtedly a movie about the Family, the children & their attitude towards their parents, the husband who does not see his wife skills and potential beyond a born Laddu Maker and yes, it's about a mother who lost her identity as a woman in the society after marriage being a house wife, as her world does not go beyond her family.

Shashi Godbole (Sridevi) is a simple middle class housewife living with her husband Satish (Adil Hussain) along with her daughter Sapna and a son named Sagar in Pune, India. She is an excellent cook searching for her own respect among children and husband due to poor understanding of English language. One day she got the call from her sister to visit New York to attend her daughter's wedding, but she was reluctant to go alone because of her poor English language, thou she finally agreed on her husband's persuasion. In New York, during her visit to a café she felt humiliated due to her understanding of English language which brought a reason for her to fight against the odds and make a place for herself. She left from there and suddenly saw an advertisement for four weeks English speaking classes and that's how she got the way to prove herself by learning a language which is global now and a synonym of 'Being Modern' in Indian societies called English, for Her VINGLISH.

Overall, English Vinglish is a memorable watch for the genuine script, superb performances, nice music and definitely the feel good factor it has. In Last scene, Shashi requests the air hostess a Hindi newspaper in English Language, and that's we called in Sridevi's MJ Style without getting 'Judgemental' –YoOO.

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The essence of few stories lies in its simplicity portraying characters from our day-to-day lives and their struggle. English Vinglish is one such beautifully woven simple concept with which audience can identify themselves.

English Vinglish is the story of Mrs Shashi Godvale,a regular home-maker from an upper middle-class household whose life revolves around doing the regular household chores. Alongwith homemaking she keeps her passion for cooking intact and within the homely set-up started a small scale business by making laaddoos. Her potential never gets the due diligence from either her indifferent husband who seem to get charged up only in bed, or her daughter who is ashamed of her mother's lack of English knowledge. It seems her lack of sophistication has even crafted the gap with her husband. She is more connected to her little son and her caring mother-in-law. Under circumstances she lands up in New York for her elder niece's wedding and eventually in an English tuition class and the story follows how her life changes thereafter. Learning a new language is symbolic of a key to regain her long lost confidence and self-esteem.

Gauri Shinde's directorial debut needs to be applauded for the sheer treatment of the film. She wrote a dignified script which never crossed the line becoming overtly-dramatic. Her skill lies in passing a relevant message without getting didactic. The film re-iterates the importance of woman in our lives. In fact it is dedicated to all the middle-class housewives who are never valued in their own household in this patriarchal society.Mrs Godvale showcases pathos of all such women who are dying under the burden of inconsequential existence even though they have significant potential unexplored. Shinde's script does justice to all the characters. The characters are simple and relatable. Mr Godvale is never depicted as a wife beating devil or an infidel husband. He is just a regular working professional who has lost interest in her wife due to cultural differences and sadly that's the scenario of most arranged marriages (still) happening in our country where the wife is not at par as husband in terms of social strata. Such a marriage becomes a compromise, unsigned deal where physical proximity is rampant but the mental bonding is like searching meaning in a RohitShetty film.

The English tuition reminds us of famous yesteryear serial "Zaban Sambhalke" where genius Pankiaj Kapoor played the Hindi teacher. There we had hybrid of cultures which created hilarious sequences due to their differences but by the end they got united under the umbrella of a common language. The setting is similar here and the students here are well-edged characters who help in elevating the pace of the film. With mixture of various cultures the experience that comes out is satisfyingly hilarious. Using the back-drop of the tuition class Shinde throws subtle hints on different issues like Indo-Pak peace, tolerance towards homosexuals and understanding them etc. She even used this medium to hint on the hypocrite mindset of male dominated Indo-Pak society as they verbally attacked the French student for openly admitting his soft corner towards Shashi. The relationship between Shahshi and the french student Laurent reminded of relationship shown in WoodyAllen's films. As she converse in Hindi and he reciprocates in French, there seem to be exchange of bouquet of emotions even though they are alien to each other's language. That's the power of feeling and mutual respect which Shashi wanted from her husband. Shashi & Laurent relationship remained as sweet and subtle as the rest of the film. The film can be summarized in one statement of Godvale where she sadly exclaimed that she doesn't need love; she needs Respect. It seems majority of the woman of India is speaking through her and with watery eyes I remember my own mother.I had even lost the opportunity to hug her and openly express my love for her which I never did while she was there beside me 

Technically the film is well edited by Hemanti Sarkar. The scenes never looked dragged. Utekar's cinematography added the feel-good factor without swaying into K Jo style of escapist extravaganza. Amit Trivedi's music is, as always, rocking. He manages to surprise with every film and his music syncs with the mood of the film, never looking like a separate music album unlike most music directors' scores. Swanand Kirkire is a gifted lyricist and he proved his mettle yet again.

And special mention to casting directors (Rita & Sean Powers) who came up with some brilliant and off-beat cast for the film. Sridevi is plain brilliant as Mrs Godvale. I was never a Sridevi fan but was amused by her potential which I felt was never utilized to the fullest barring few films. She looked confident and underplayed her role to suit the character. Adil Hussain as her husband is expectantly efficient and did justice to his NSD degree. One of the finest actors, I sincerely hope this film opens more doors for him. Experienced French actor Mehedi Nebbou was fantastic in the role of Laurent and expressed with his eyes. His equation with Sridevi deserves mention. Priya Anand is spontaneous as Shashi's niece who instills confidence in Shashi's character. Cory Hibbs is rocking as the English teacher. The whole bunch of actors as the students of English tuition are superb. Rest of the supporting cast are all splendid especially the adorable kid who played Shahshi's son. Amitabh Bachchan is present in a meaningful cameo in the flight scene.

Overall English Vinglish is a simple and linear yet effective,a touching story of majority housewives of our previous generation. While we are heading towards a more independent society we sincerely hope the mindset towards our woman changes so that we can Really be Proud of our culture and parampara.Hope the time is not far away with more Godvale's understanting their worth and fighting to earn back their dignity rather than letting oneself to be a subject of sympathy.