English Vinglish

The central idea of self-esteem being tied to one's ability to function reasonably well in the world of Queen's English is spot-on. In many cases, it opens a new world of opportunity to anyone from any background. The elite who have always spoken it or learnt it have a natural advantage, but others can overcome class barriers and maybe other barriers with training in spoken English.

My Fair Lady, based on Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion was also based on this premise, and Dev Anand made his own Man Pasand on the same theme. Gauri Shinde uses a clever situation in the life of Mrs. Godbole (Sridevi) to take you through the trauma of a non-English speaker in daily life (a PTA meeting at school) and in a visit to New York, where she feels humiliated at a coffee shop encounter.

The movie succeeds in telling an unusual story- the fight for self-esteem by doing what it takes- in this case, it involves learning English. The scenes are mostly normal scenes from the life of an upper middle class household, with the children being spoilt but educated in English, a loving grandma providing some support to the lady and kids, and so on.

But with astute screenplay, dialogue and acting, the story comes alive. The smaller characters in my view are critical to the film. All the bunch in the English class in New York are very good, and bring the story a lot of credibility, including the gay, funny teacher. Photography is really good, and even New York manages to look beautiful. Amitabh has a nice cameo.

Marathi song lyrics seem to be catching on-there are some in the wedding song, which is quite catchy. I would also rate the role of Radhika, the niece who helps Sridevi in her quest, as one of the best supporting roles, played very well by the youngster. A feel-good film, unless you were the husband who must feel like *** when she suddenly spouts a whole speech in English, or the kids who taunt her all the time. Thumbs Up!