English Vinglish Movie Review: It’s not a movie. This is life.

Sridevi’s English Vinglish will not be remembered for its box office collections, neither will they talk about it for its extravagant settings and item numbers, instead, this movie will be remembered for the statement it makes. Very clear, very loud, and very obvious. Yet, so often overlooked.

This movie is dedicated to the “aurat” in every woman out there. Its as much about taking control over your life, as it is about loving and respecting those around you.
There are very few times when one can leave the theater not knowing when they crossed the line between reality and fiction, and the good movies very often blend these both. English Vinglish connects you to the fundamental issues that govern relationships, respect, love and life itself. But more importantly, it is a celebration of that inner desire and drive every person innately possesses to learn something new and adapt into something that’s better than who you are.
She returns
English Vinglish was always destined to have a good opening, especially amongst the city-folk. The much awaited return of Sridevi to the industry that made her who she is, and she did not dissapoint.
There used to be a time when heorines weren’t made because daddy was from a movie industry, or because you had it in you to walk the ramp. There was a time when heroines used to play the leading protagonist in a movie, around whom the movie revolved instead of being subjected to doing obscene dance steps and crying at the drop of a hat. English Vinglish is a throwback to those days. Days when a movie was driven by the story, screenplay and the acting… not by outlandish depictions of pretentious lives.
Sridevi looked natural, beautiful as ever, and gracious with age. Its almost as though she did not try to act, it was all right there. Shashi (sridevi’s character) and Sridevi were one and the same. Whatever the situation demanded… jubiliation, excitement, dissapointment, sadness, anxiousness… its almost like the present crop of heroines forgot how to act, and when you finally saw someone go through these so naturally, you’re left wondering how was it that you survived watching movies for so many years without a heroine who stood up to be counted.
The teaser
As the name, and the promos rightly suggest, English Vinglish is the story of how a typical saari-clad Indian woman, starts believing in herself. The way the director has shown the situations that lead up to the big transformation, the relationships between husband, wife and children, and society in general has been shown very realistically and touch a sentimental chord to everyone who will watch it.
At the core of this movie stands the need for recognition, and appreciation, and the English class that our leading lady joins and the friendships she makes along the way help her re-shape her life and regain her confidence. One dialogue that Shasi says at the end… “thanks for helping me love myself again”, sums up the movie beautifully.
The final word
This review is not about giving a score, or a thumbs up or thumbs down for a movie, not this movie atleast. Don’t miss English Vinglish if you want to watch a good movie. But don’t expect it to be like the rest of the stuff out there!