Review-Sheview of English Vinglish

Okay-Shokay, so here’s the deal: the only qualification required to participate in ‘English Vinglish’, is that you need to be a certified Sridevi fan! Gauri Shinde’s debut effort, is a celebration of this fab-shab, awesome-shawesome actress! After a fifteen year hiatus, a reloaded, renewed & refreshed Sridevi ... if only I could use a green font here, to express my envy – nearly pushing fifty, do bachchon ki maa & with Boney Kapoor as a husband, the former Ms Thunder Thighs (omg, not a trace of that anymore!) looks dew drop fresh!

Having established that the Sridevi Festival rocks, lets deal with the speed breakers on this otherwise smooth ride:

Ms Shinde, with all sincerity believes that, anyone who doesn’t know the Queen’s language, has to be dim-witted too! I know plenty of women of substance, who speak vernacular, but are sharp, smart & clever!

Theek hai, you don’t know English Vinglish, but surely Sashi (Sridevi), who seems to come from a fairly affluent family has travelled by air before? But then, good for her, since her aircraft guardian angel turns out to be the sexy, suave & kind stranger, Amitabh Bachchan ... for an encounter-vencounter with the superstar, I may chose to forget my English too!

The US Coffee Shops Association (do such things exist?!) may sue the movie for portraying the counter sales folk as a rude, intolerant, racist lot! When Sashi struggles with her order across the counter, surely anyone with a brain could understand that the woman had a language issue!?!

Here we go again ... that ghissa pitta tale about the shy, timid, tamely-accepting-her- family’s- taunts-Indian-woman, who has to travel to America, to discover herself, learn English (because there are no English speaking courses in India!) & take pride in her laddoos ... yawn!!!

Some cheap thrills when the visa officer asks Sashi, how she will manage in the US, without knowing English, his colleague, cattily responds, “Like you manage in this country without knowing Hindi!!!”

But then, its Sridevi, who like wine, has bettered with age, developed a kind of sukoon (peace), a serene dignity & a low key tone in her acting. She makes you forget to critique the movie & you helplessly get swept away by her sheer presence! From the perfect gharelu sati-savitri, who tirelessly works for her family, the wife and mother, who hurts at the taunts of her husband & daughter, the determined woman of substance who takes on learning English in four weeks, till the toast she delivers at the New York shaadi, which I am ashamed, made me weep, there is not one dull moment in Sashi ki kahani!

The Mind your Language kind of English classes, with its typical ethnic representations, has its cute & funny moments. Oh yes, the cute French Romeo, madly in love with Sridevi, who actually looks French!

Special mention must be made of the girl who plays Sridevi’s niece – thank God, no fake accent, very pretty & a rather sensitive performance.

The movie left me with two desires (apart from wanting to wake up as beautiful & slim, like Mrs Boney Kapoor!): to find out where all those exquisite, ethnic cotton saris, worn so gracefully by Sridevi, were sourced from. The second & more burning wish, is to the give the daughter of the house, a firm tight slap, for being so obnoxious and disrespectful to her mom!!!

English Vinglish – may not be the best story in town, but still, Sridevi makes sure you get your ticket’s worth! Go-Sho & See-Shee!!

PS: This review is dedicated, to my khoobsurat friend, the asli Sashi, who is as beautiful as the English Vinglish Sashi!