Movie Review: English Vinglish…is not an 'aisi vaisi' movie

When I first saw the trailers of this movie I thought English Vinglish would be quite ordinary – the standard melodramatic stuff, over-emphasising the obstacles of the main character, seldom possible to connect to or find realistic and lacking any humour whatsoever. Well, I was in for a pleasant surprise

Despite having a predictable and ordinary plotline, English Vinglish manages to go beyond being the average movie. How? Simply by not over-doing things, as is the case in most Bollywood offerings. Resultantly, what you get is a refreshing presentation, subtle scenes that would bring a smile or even a chuckle and a simple story, simply told. It brings back memories of the clean family entertainers that were the norm in the previous decade and is clearly not set in present day context

Once you accept that and start following the life of Shashi (the protagonist) which you pretty much do from frame 1 of the movie..its hard not to connect and feel for her. However, what really brings Shashi to life is the awesome performance of Sridevi, who makes pretty much a dream comeback, after a rather long hiatus. She has such a refreshing screen presence and her expressive eyes alone are enough to tell you the whole story around how she feels at that particular moment.

As for the direction, I have to say its smart especially considering this is a debut movie. No scene lingers too long and the movie moves quickly. Songs are well woven into the story and do not end up slowing it down. There is less focus on the protagonist’s troubles and tale of woe and more on her steely determination behind her quiet demeanour. Saying anymore will spoil it for you so I’ll refrain, though you should be prepared for plenty of stereotypes in the form of the characters that revolve around Shashi

I won’t go so far as to say that the movie is a must watch – except perhaps for Sridevi’s performance. As a friend of mine remarked, this movie is ideal for TV viewing with the whole family. However, if you do watch it you can be guaranteed a good time at the theaters and a nice, light experience, through and through, that few movies end up offering.