Review of English Vinglish (2012) by Yash B — 03 May 2014

Shashi Godbole is a housewife. She runs a small catering business, and everyone loves her delicious laddoos. She does everything that she can to keep her children happy, even if they ridicule for her unfit pronunciation of 'jazz'. She doesn't speak or understand English. So does that makes her and everything she does less important? Why is a housewife's work given less importance than the work men do? And why is not knowing English language suddenly such a monstrous weakness?

English Vinglish throws light on such issues, and comes out as a winner. With an ordinary script like this, it is very easy for the film to go terribly wrong. But this movie doesn't â" thanks to director Gauri Shinde (who has also written the film), Sridevi's fabulous performance and Amit Trivedi's poignant background score.

Sridevi (Shashi) has to attend a wedding in New York. While in the city, she decides to join an English class to 'educate' herself. She is more driven towards this by the fact that her daughter is embarrassed that her mother doesn't speak English. Soon, she finds that she is enjoying herself; by learning that she is not just a housewife, she is an entrepreneur. She means it when she says, "When men cook, its art; when women cook, its duty." Mild applause.

Every actor comprising the English class is amazing, including the teacher (David sir). English Vinglish has many little moments to keep you occupied emotionally. I admit here â" this is the first Sridevi film I have ever seen. And she blew my expectations away with her expressive facial demeanor. Sridevi is the force that drives the film, as you yearn to learn more about her character. That is the sign of a true actor â" to give you a fictional person that you start to care about.

It is hard to believe that a film crafted with such finesse is somebody's first directorial venture. Gauri Shinde's direction is top class. She keeps offering clever and emotionally stimulating junctures, while showing a woman's fight to win back her self-esteem. English Vinglish is the kind of a movie which you owe to yourself. Helped finely by Amit Trivedi's background score and the jaw-dropping Manhattan skyline, it is a sincerely made film with lots of heart.

Four out of five. If you ask Vidya Balan how she feels about this film, she would probably say, "Sridevi, Sridevi, Sridevi.".