English Vinglish- Sridevi passes and wins gold medal too!

Published at http://planetbollywood.com/displayReview.php?id=f100612030341

Cast: Sridevi, Adil Hussain, Mehdi Nebbou, Priya Anand

Director: Gauri Shinde

Producer : R. Balki

Music: Amit Trivedi

Am still in the post-mesmerized phase of English-Vinglish and flawless Sridevi. You can watch the movie again just not for Sridevi who came back to silver screen after a hiatus of 15years but for all those subtle happy-vappy and sad-vad moments every one experiences in dialy life. The very first five min of the movie make you feel like you are at a typical home in India with an uncomplaining, patient wife, a husband who earns well enough and two cute kids and a loving mother in-law Shulbha  Deshpande.

The opening scene where she wakes up, makes coffee for herself but can't take a sip of it due to the continuous demands by husband and other house hold works and finally coffee cools down a bit which reminded me the daily scene at my home where my mama keeps running around the house handling thousands of chores with her tea cooling down on the table! As and when Sridevi appears on the screen it was worth a whistle and it felt extremely delightful to watch her  act  effortlessly once again!Shashi, a Maharashtrian housewife quietly puts up with the playful and insensitive jokes her husband and kids cut  pointing her inability to speak proper English. It's such a terrific performance by Sridevi that every mother will at one point or the other find herself in the place of Shashi . Its not only about English. Its also about how we take mothers for granted . We rant, shout , make rude remarks , even feel embarrassed at our own parents like Shashis daughter sulks at her inefficiency . In return what mother gives is selfless love! Shashi is not only a doting mother and loving wife but also a small scale entrepreneur who delivers homemade laddoos. It’s  the only skill she is proud of but as  her husband is not very proud of this fact makes her tad sad. Eventually she comes to a conclusion that only English speaking people are stylish and important which more or less is true!

The moment she has to fly to US she is all panicky and gets up in middle of the night asking her husband not to send her alone. My heart goes for Shashi in the song Jiya ra dhak dhuk. She fits in the role of a shy , emotional house wife. The cameo by Amitab bachan fits in the plot and the fun tit bits will be remembered by the audience.

The main story begins in US showing the dazzling Newyork and the skyscrapers where Shashi decides to learn English and meets all her affectionate  friends a collection of immigrants—a Pakistani cab driver Salman Khan, a Tamilian soft ware engineer, a Spanish-speaking nanny, a young Chinese girl who works in parlour, a largely silent African man who like the instructor David is homosexual and there is a subtle hint in the movie to be sensitive towards them. Last but not the least is the Frenchman (Mehdi Nebbou) who is a cook and a fervent Shashi-admirer with whom she opens up comfortably in Hindi and he tries to console her in French. These are the moments you feel there is no need of a language between two friends to feel good. At times even silence is enough.

The amazing support cast of English class makes you laugh all the way and the nuances of English language in various regions are funnily portrayed .Priya anand fits in the role of an empathetic girl  with lot of freewill who likes her Shashi maussi a lot and encourages her to learn English. The tensed moment for Shashi where the French man tries getting close to her , Gustaakh dil song which follows and her revelation that she doesn’t need love but needs some respect are all shown so damn naturally. Sridevi’s expressions undoubtedly add flavour to the movie. The scene where she is all smiles when the groom Kevin is mesmerised by tasting her mouth watering  fresh laddoo and her husband Adil Hussain (A kay kay menon look alike)immediately cracks a joke that “She is born to make laddoos”,that instant the way her smile fades and her face becomes am used to this kind of transformation is awesomely shown! Navrai majhi brings you in to the Marathi wedding mood!

The final speech given by Shashi about how important it is to have a family and feel important in this vast world as the only people who never laugh at your weaknesses are your family and you should help yourself  so that both husband and wife must feel equal is all heart touching. She thanks the Frenchman saying he made her feel good about herself. Sridevi is back with a loud bang.

My favourite dialogue from the movie is, “Old relations when worn out new things attract you. When love is restored in the old relations it seems all great and new.” Hats off to Gauri shinde for this well crafted movie and kudos to Amit Trivedi for music which blends well with the movie. Three cheers to Navika Kotia Who played Shashi’s daughter who was also natural and son  Shivansh Kotia is so cute like a teddy bear(who comes in flipkart ads) that you want to take him home. Go to the movie with your family and if possible take your moms to this movie.

All said and done its a full-on Sridevi movie and she passed with flying colors. Like always its No one  Vs Sridevi. Sridevi, with the girly kiddish charm which she only owns, though aged is  beautifully balanced by a new quiet dignity and grace. Welcome back Sridevi and Congrats at this best performance and huge success!

My Rating: 4.5/5
Lastly amazing trailer for those who havent watched yet :) and the promo of song which stole my heart (Dhak Dhuk)