So last night, I finally got around to watching English Vinglish. I know, I know, I’m really quite painfully late and behind. But I promise it was on my “to watch” list, it just got pushed to the back burner because of…of…well stuff happens ok? Anyways, in light of my falling in love with the movie, I thought I’d share my thoughts with the world!
English Vinglish is a poignant, heart-warming and an absolutely beautifully told story. From the acting to the Sabyasachi saris to the score, English VInglish won my heart. It had no flashy, random and completely pointless songs, no vulgarity, and most importantly it had no long-winded, endless, and/or stupid plot! Hurray for darn good screenwriters!
Now let’s get to the nitty gritty.
***SPOILER ALERT*** Just in case you haven’t seen it, GO WATCH IT.
This is what happens when you focus on the story and not on the music that is in the story. I loved how the score added to the strength of the film rather than distracting from the storyline. We are so used to Bollywood movies having so much potential in their stories and plots but we cannot take them serious with the amount of spontaneous and useless (and yes, sometimes just plain trashy) songs at 15 minute intervals. Needless to say, this meaningful and “dil ko choone wala” soundtrack will play constantly on my phone.
As per the plot, well, what can I say, it was fantastic. The character development was amazing for an Indian movie. Shashi’s journey to learn to love herself was real. It was believable. Her ups and downs, her trials and tribulations were tangible, hum uske saari khushiyan aur ghamo ko mehsoos kar paye. Please excuse the random bits of morphed Hindi/Urdu, some things are just better said not in English. Ha! The irony! I really never cease to amuse myself….
Anyways, other than the relate-able-ness (yes, I did just make up my own word) of the film (I mean don’t we all know the ‘Salman Khans’ and ‘Evas’ in our lives?!) Shashi’s story was simply irresistible. I sat with my hands plastered to my cheeks throughout the entire film, I think at some points (Laurent’s scenes) I was practically drooling as well.
What made the movie so poignant was not only the reality of Shashi’s situation, but Shashi’s struggle itself. At any point in her life, Shashi could have given up living solely for her family. She could have thrown up her hands and said “Eff this, eff everyone, and eff everything. No one appreciates me for who I am, and what I do. Ima live for myself now!” But, she didn’t. Shashi put her family first. She put her desires, her feelings all aside and cared for her family. It would have been easy for her to simply walk away from everything, leaving the lives of three (four including Maaji) other individuals lives in tatters.
But she didn’t. Instead she chose to do something for herself. She chose to learn English. Not to impress her husband, not to ‘fit in’ with her daughter, not for anyone else but herself. She had many an opportunity to throw it in her husbands face that ‘Hey, look. I know English, now go jump off a cliff. I won’t be the butt of your jokes anymore.’ But that wasn’t the reason she learned English. She learned for herself. To prove to herself that she wasn’t just born to make ladoos.
Enter Laurent. *you may now proceed to swoon to your hearts content*
Ok, ok, so I’m a sucker for the ‘silent-lover’ type. But come on, Laurent won my heart from the moment I saw him stand behind Sridevi in the cafe. I think I can now say, honestly and earnestly, that I am glad I took French. Laurent’s lines were beautifully written and my heart melted every time he spoke (French or broken English). Laurent was the first to recognize that there was more to Shashi than even Shashi herself knew. (He was closely followed in his insight by Radha though) He loved her not because he had to, but because he loved what he saw in her, he loved the things about her. Who says you can’t love someone who doesn’t speak the same language as you? Laurent’s love for Shashi transcended convention and language barriers. (Seriously, Laurent could have anyone, I think that schmexy French accent would have lots of American girls chasing after him :P) The most emotional scenes in the movie were when Shashi and Laurent would speak to each other in their native tongues and have no idea what the other was saying. Language barrier or not, they felt what the other was feeling. Yeah, it puzzled them, made them feel awkward, but the bond was still there.
In the end, we realize that it really is the woman who keeps a household together, whether it’s Manu who raised her two daughters alone after her husbands death or Shashi, who just needed to learn to love herself so she could love her family even more.
So, if you read all that bakwaas, kudos to you! Here are some screenshots of some my favorite scenes:
If your heart didn’t break during this scene, I have nothing to say to you.
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Big B was sheer perfection in this scene. Shoutout to Sridevi’s nose job!
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Makes me happyyyyyyyyyy 😀
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David: A, E, I, O, U
Rama: Aiyyo!
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Eeeeeeek! (right after his imitation of the trademark Indian head bobble)
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Oh Salman!
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Did you hear that guys?! He said his favorite thing about class is Shashi!!!!! OH THE FEELS!!!!!!
Hope you enjoyed this bakwaas-filled post!
-Amalgam
English Vinglish, yes please!
Have Courage And Be Kind 