I know this movie is 2 months old and only today I happen to watch the dubbed Tamil version of it online. I feel that I did a wise thing, else I would have missed out on a brilliant movie that was simple, heart warming and yet radiated some pertinent vibes that augurs well with the current domestic setup.
Gauri Shinde directed English Vinglish narrates the story of Sashi (Sridevi) who wages a daily battle in coping up with her ignorance of English language through familial pressures like her daughter looking down upon her and her husband treating her as an innocent and ignorant doll. These pressures become more pronounced and assumes mammoth proportions when she travels to the US to attend her niece’s wedding. Sashi decides to fend them all by attending an English Coaching Class in New York, which allows her to make brisk and confident strides from then on.
In the larger context of the movie, English was used as a tool to convey the day-to-day agony of a demure and conservative Indian housewife for whom family priorities would always top the chart. The movie’s triumph was in capturing the volatile emotions of ‘Sashi’ (Sridevi) with a sweet and simple narration that pulls our heartstrings many a times. Also, the inherent humor in the script has helped the movie reach across to a wider group of audience.
Sridevi - I am not a great fan of her, but this role was made memorable with her dim-witted yet powerful performance that was down-to-earth and charming. She had her emotions at the right place - be it her penchant for making ‘ladoos’ or her suppressed agony of being looked down upon by her husband and her daughter or her quick realization and redemption from falling for someone who woos her even after knowing that she is the mother of two. A good comeback vehicle for the veteran.
The supporting cast including Priya Anand, Mehdi Nebbou, Adil Hussain, Sujata Kumar, Neelu Sodhi and others rendered a natural performance that helped the movie attain its peak at times.
The pupil in the English Coaching Class need a special mention - be it the amorous Pakistani Taxi Driver, the Mexican baby sitter, a Chinese hair stylist, an African gay lad, a French cook and last but not the least, a typically Tamil software engineer - all adding different colors to the humor quotient and tickle our nerves at various junctures.
As an icing on the cake, there was Ajith in a guest appearance for the Tamil version. His stay on screen was brief but effective.
Music and BGM by Amit Trivedi helped in establishing a connect with the audience and also helped in maintaining the tempo in the narrative. Good job.
Editing by the female editor Hemanti Sarkar was brilliant and the viewer was not able to feel any lag or boredom during the course and ended up with the right length
Cinematography by Laxman Utekar was top class - be it the indoors that were well lit or the flamboyant New York streets - the camera was easy and gentle on the eyes.
Though this movie was heavily targeted at the classes, a very pertinent issue has been taken up and addressed in a very affable way that was convincing by a mile.
Verdict: Get your DVD copy as soon as it releases!
Rating: 4/5
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