DVD Reviews
DVD Reviews
English Vinglish
By Joginder Tuteja, 14 Jan 2013
Rating:![4]( "4")
MOVIE DETAILS
Cast: Sridevi, Adil Hussain, Mehdi Nebbou, Priya Anand
Director: Gauri Shinde
Producer: Sunil Lulla, R. Balki, RK Damani & Rakesh Jhunjhunwala
Music: Amit Trivedi
Lyrics: Swanand Kirkire
THE FILM
What a film! Going by the very first look of English Vinglish where Sridevi stood against a Censor certificate backdrop to the subsequent talkie promos, there was a certain apprehension that had built up around the eventual content of the film. I for sure felt that it would not just turn a lot self indulgent, it would also be a self-conscious outing, both for Sridevi as well as first time director Gauri Shinde. Well, I was proved wrong, and how, what with English Vinglish turning out to be a fantastic film that almost went into the Rajkumar Hirani space and ensured that there were all around moist eyes right through it's play.
Quite often filmmakers claim that an actor would be forgotten for his/her past accomplishments and emerge as a character within first 15 minutes of the film. This indeed is the case with English Vinglish where, after settling down to the fact that it is THE Sridevi back on the big screen, you want to know a lot about what Shashi has to offer. The whole scrutiny around her looks, dialogue delivery and can-she-act-as-brilliantly-as-before disappears after a while and once it is announced that she would be taking that flight to 'the USA', you want to be a partner in her journey.
Just like her, even you are apprehensive whether she would get it right at the airport counters, take care of herself and adjust to the rules of the foreign land. The very fact that her husband (Adi Hussain) isn't doing much to boost her confidence while her daughter is close to being mean doesn't help the cause much. However the moment Amitabh Bachchan enters the scene in a guest appearance as Sridevi's co-passenger, you know that English Vinglish has hit the nail hard, and how! His extended sequence with Sridevi would stand out as one of the most high impact scenes that a film has boasted of from a cameo.
From this point on the film takes off in a big way. Sridevi's bonding with her sister and her daughters, the embarrassment she faces at the cafe, her first meeting with French cook (Mehdi Nebbou), the interaction she has with the front desk officer at the English coaching school, her first day in the class, every sequence featuring the teacher in action, background and requirements of her fellow- students belonging to varied nationalities and then a brilliant interval point where Sridevi finds a renewed confidence in herself, the film scores very highly and only makes one look forward to what rest of the film has to offer.
Post interval sequences are good as well though one does misses those 'tears in the eyes' moments that had build momentum in the first half. The subtle attraction between Sridevi-Mehdi is brought out well but somehow one does feel that the film isn't really moving ahead with similar momentum. There isn't any dip that the film takes but an exceptional first half makes one doubly excited about the second half and hence you want something exhilarating to follow soon.
This does happen once Sridevi's family joins her in US. The predicament that she faces around spending time with her family versus continuing her classes is brought out well and as the film moves towards the pre-climax, the pace returns. However the best is reserved for the end when Sridevi gets it just right and says things as they are from the heart. The sequence here is to be seen to be believed because whatever said here will account to spoilers. However one thing is for sure that in every award nomination that Sridevi would score, this sequence would certainly play on screen.
Though others may not have got a platform to deliver an award winning performance, they play a good part in the film for sure. Adil, who has been superb in each of his big screen assignments so far, is wonderful again as a husband who is natural to the core. Ditto for Mehdi who gets it perfectly right and is never off track. The ladies in Sridevi's life (daughter, sister, nieces) fit in well too and so do the men enacting her teacher and other students (especially the ones from Southern India and Pakistan). A special mention to the boy playing Sridevi's son who is cute without turning filmy.
Amit Trivedi's background score and songs are top notch as well and aid in the emotional run of English Vinglish. Each of the songs fits in well in the narrative and comes at just the right junctures without breaking flow of the story telling. A very good job done. Even technically film has a polished look throughout and takes you right into the city without making America look like a picture postcard in the offering.
DURATION
The film's duration is 134 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Deleted Scenes
- Behind the Scenes
- Gauri's first short film - Oh Man!
This is actually the only disappointing part about the DVD. Deleted scenes are nothing to write home about and were best kept deleted. On the other 'Behind The Scenes' feature is quite poorly put together with random shots from the film's making being put together. Frankly, for a comeback film of Sridevi, one expected a better collage of how it all came into place. As for Gauri's film 'Oh Man!', it doesn't cut ice either.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
- 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
- Subtitles - English and Arabic
- Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo
PRICE
Rs. 299/=
CONCLUSION
A film like English Vinglish could have gone wrong at many counts. It could have just gone into this over sentimental space where one may have been exposed to all the hardships Sridevi was going through due to her discomfort with English. It could have just gone into Shobhana starrer Mitr-My Friend space where a middle-aged woman would have found love outside marriage in a foreign land. It could just have just turned into a mere show-reel of sorts (ala Amitabh Bachchan's Buddha Hoga Tera Baap) for Sridevi where she would shown various facets of her acting talent (whether required or not in the film's context).
However English Vinglish (fortunately) steers clear from all of that! It turns out to be a very entertaining piece of cinema that is not just heart felt and emotional, it is also a highly class affair where one can't help but say 'wow' at various junctures. The very fact that Gauri Shinde follows a balanced approach towards the film and Sridevi is just an ideal actor to enact this part makes English Vinglish a film that just cannot be missed.
Cast: Sridevi, Adil Hussain, Mehdi Nebbou, Priya AnandDirector: Gauri Shinde
Producer: Sunil Lulla, R. Balki, RK Damani & Rakesh Jhunjhunwala
Music: Amit Trivedi
Lyrics: Swanand Kirkire
THE FILM
What a film! Going by the very first look of English Vinglish where Sridevi stood against a Censor certificate backdrop to the subsequent talkie promos, there was a certain apprehension that had built up around the eventual content of the film. I for sure felt that it would not just turn a lot self indulgent, it would also be a self-conscious outing, both for Sridevi as well as first time director Gauri Shinde. Well, I was proved wrong, and how, what with English Vinglish turning out to be a fantastic film that almost went into the Rajkumar Hirani space and ensured that there were all around moist eyes right through it's play.
Quite often filmmakers claim that an actor would be forgotten for his/her past accomplishments and emerge as a character within first 15 minutes of the film. This indeed is the case with English Vinglish where, after settling down to the fact that it is THE Sridevi back on the big screen, you want to know a lot about what Shashi has to offer. The whole scrutiny around her looks, dialogue delivery and can-she-act-as-brilliantly-as-before disappears after a while and once it is announced that she would be taking that flight to 'the USA', you want to be a partner in her journey.
Just like her, even you are apprehensive whether she would get it right at the airport counters, take care of herself and adjust to the rules of the foreign land. The very fact that her husband (Adi Hussain) isn't doing much to boost her confidence while her daughter is close to being mean doesn't help the cause much. However the moment Amitabh Bachchan enters the scene in a guest appearance as Sridevi's co-passenger, you know that English Vinglish has hit the nail hard, and how! His extended sequence with Sridevi would stand out as one of the most high impact scenes that a film has boasted of from a cameo.
From this point on the film takes off in a big way. Sridevi's bonding with her sister and her daughters, the embarrassment she faces at the cafe, her first meeting with French cook (Mehdi Nebbou), the interaction she has with the front desk officer at the English coaching school, her first day in the class, every sequence featuring the teacher in action, background and requirements of her fellow- students belonging to varied nationalities and then a brilliant interval point where Sridevi finds a renewed confidence in herself, the film scores very highly and only makes one look forward to what rest of the film has to offer.
Post interval sequences are good as well though one does misses those 'tears in the eyes' moments that had build momentum in the first half. The subtle attraction between Sridevi-Mehdi is brought out well but somehow one does feel that the film isn't really moving ahead with similar momentum. There isn't any dip that the film takes but an exceptional first half makes one doubly excited about the second half and hence you want something exhilarating to follow soon.
This does happen once Sridevi's family joins her in US. The predicament that she faces around spending time with her family versus continuing her classes is brought out well and as the film moves towards the pre-climax, the pace returns. However the best is reserved for the end when Sridevi gets it just right and says things as they are from the heart. The sequence here is to be seen to be believed because whatever said here will account to spoilers. However one thing is for sure that in every award nomination that Sridevi would score, this sequence would certainly play on screen.
Though others may not have got a platform to deliver an award winning performance, they play a good part in the film for sure. Adil, who has been superb in each of his big screen assignments so far, is wonderful again as a husband who is natural to the core. Ditto for Mehdi who gets it perfectly right and is never off track. The ladies in Sridevi's life (daughter, sister, nieces) fit in well too and so do the men enacting her teacher and other students (especially the ones from Southern India and Pakistan). A special mention to the boy playing Sridevi's son who is cute without turning filmy.
Amit Trivedi's background score and songs are top notch as well and aid in the emotional run of English Vinglish. Each of the songs fits in well in the narrative and comes at just the right junctures without breaking flow of the story telling. A very good job done. Even technically film has a polished look throughout and takes you right into the city without making America look like a picture postcard in the offering.
DURATION
The film's duration is 134 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Deleted Scenes
- Behind the Scenes
- Gauri's first short film - Oh Man!
This is actually the only disappointing part about the DVD. Deleted scenes are nothing to write home about and were best kept deleted. On the other 'Behind The Scenes' feature is quite poorly put together with random shots from the film's making being put together. Frankly, for a comeback film of Sridevi, one expected a better collage of how it all came into place. As for Gauri's film 'Oh Man!', it doesn't cut ice either.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
- 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
- Subtitles - English and Arabic
- Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo
PRICE
Rs. 299/=
CONCLUSION
A film like English Vinglish could have gone wrong at many counts. It could have just gone into this over sentimental space where one may have been exposed to all the hardships Sridevi was going through due to her discomfort with English. It could have just gone into Shobhana starrer Mitr-My Friend space where a middle-aged woman would have found love outside marriage in a foreign land. It could just have just turned into a mere show-reel of sorts (ala Amitabh Bachchan's Buddha Hoga Tera Baap) for Sridevi where she would shown various facets of her acting talent (whether required or not in the film's context).
However English Vinglish (fortunately) steers clear from all of that! It turns out to be a very entertaining piece of cinema that is not just heart felt and emotional, it is also a highly class affair where one can't help but say 'wow' at various junctures. The very fact that Gauri Shinde follows a balanced approach towards the film and Sridevi is just an ideal actor to enact this part makes English Vinglish a film that just cannot be missed.
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