Spotlight on Sridevi : English Vinglish

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It has been five years since Sridevi passed away; five years since Bollywood lost one of its biggest superstars. In her memory, I have decided to write a series of reviews in her memory: 'Spotlight on Sridevi'.

English Vinglish [2012]

Starring: Sridevi, Adil Hussain, Mehdi Nebbou

Direction by Gauri Shinde

Language: Hindi

This was a movie that was definitely different to other Hindi-language films I have seen in the past. For so long, the Bollywood industry has focused on young protagonists, who largely fight against the expectations and actions of those older than them. This movie, however, completely flipped this norm the other way around. The movie centres around an older, married lady played by Sridevi, whose inability to speak English makes her the object of ridicule from her family. 

What I found really interesting was the fact that this movie broke the mould of Bollywood movies: there were no giant dance numbers to distract from the narrative of the story, and the protagonist was not only a woman, but a feminist who worked to improve herself, and actively went against her family's expectations to find happiness. 

Sridevi shines in everything she acts in, but this was so different.  This role commands a certain maturity from any actress playing it. Sridevi, of course, was the perfect choice: in the film she was so perfectly able to wrestle the conflict between family obligation and personal liberty, much like Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn.

In Bollywood films, older characters are often rooted in tradition, who are reluctant to embrace new, western ways. Here, we see a complete reversal of that: the younger characters in the film are more antequated. 

I feel as if this is a very real Bollywood movie. The diversity of New York is really brought to life in this movie. When Hindi films are set abroad, the casting is such that the main characters are surrounded by Indians, which is unrepresentative of the multicultural areas which they are in. Again, this movie utilises the diversity of the setting, and was able to create a movie that isn't restricted to a Hindi audience. With all of these different cultures being showcased, this movie is truly universal not only in its progressive plot, but its casting and setting. 

Shinde was also incredibly insightful in understanding and representing the lives of the newly-emerging Indian middle class. 

The songs were not overly flashy, and the result of this is that the movie gave us a new selection and calibre of music, music that is so different to the norms expected in the Hindi-speaking Indian society. 

We can safely say that, with age, Sridevi's spark has never diminished. 

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