English Vinglish (2012)
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A traditional homemaker travels to New York and enrolls in an English course to gain self-respect after being mocked by her family.
The story
Shashi Godbole is a traditional Marathi homemaker in Pune who runs a small, home-based business making and selling laddoos. Despite her entrepreneurial spirit, her corporate-worker husband, Satish, and her teenage daughter, Sapna, routinely mock her poor English-speaking skills, leaving her feeling deeply insecure. When Shashi's sister invites the family to a wedding in New York City, Shashi travels alone five weeks early to help organize the festivities. After a distressing experience at a local coffee shop where she is berated for her language skills, she decides to use her secret savings to enroll in a conversational English course to overcome her limitations.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Shashi Godbole, a Marathi homemaker in Pune, feels insecure because her husband Satish and daughter Sapna mock her poor English. When she travels to New York City alone to help her sister Manu with a wedding, she is humiliated by a barista at a coffee shop. Seeking to improve, she secretly enrolls in an English course led by David Fischer, joining a diverse group of immigrants. She becomes a dedicated student, winning respect with her warmth and homemade laddoos. She forms a bond with Laurent, a French chef who also struggles with English, though she remains firm about her marital status. Her secret classes are eventually discovered by her niece, Radha, who becomes her supporter. However, when Satish and the children arrive early, Shashi feels guilty after her son Sagar gets injured and decides to quit her classes. On the wedding day, Radha invites Shashi's classmates to the reception. Shashi delivers a heartfelt speech in English about the importance of supporting family members. Her eloquence humbles Satish and Sapna. David awards her a graduation certificate, and Shashi returns to India with newfound confidence, fluently requesting a newspaper from a flight attendant.
- First release year
- 2012
- Runtime (minutes)
- 134
- Production countries
- India
- Original languages
- Hindi
- Directors
- Gauri Shinde
- Writers
- Gauri Shinde · writer
- Cast and characters
- Sridevi · Shashi Godbole; Adil Hussain · Satish Godbole; Mehdi Nebbou · Laurent; Priya Anand · Radha Desai; Sulabha Deshpande · Mrs. Godbole; Shivansh Kotia · Sagar Godbole; Navika Kotia · Sapna Godbole; Sujata Kumar · Manu Desai
- Genres
- comedy; drama
- Themes
- Self-respect; Language barriers; Family dynamics; Empowerment
- Tone and mood
- Heartwarming; Sensitive; Funny
- Premise and plot tags
- Middle-class life; Language learning; Woman's awakening; Cultural transition
- Source material / true-story basis
- Inspired by Gauri Shinde's mother
- Reception
- The film received universal critical acclaim, with reviewers raving Shinde's direction and screenplay, Sridevi's performance as well as the film's soundtrack and cinematography. It became a major financial success as well.
- Reported review scores
- Times of India · score: 4 out of 5; Daily News and Analysis · score: 4 out of 5; Anupama Chopra · score: 3.5 out of 5; Rediff · score: 4 out of 5; Taran Adarsh · score: 4 out of 5; Subhash K Jha · score: 4.5; CNN-IBN · score: 3.5; Firstpost · score: 5 out of 5; MOZVO · score: 4.3 out of 5; The Guardian · score: 3 out of 5; The Globe and Mail · score: 2 out of 4; Cinema Journal · score: 4/5; Amazon Prime Video · score: 7.8 out of 10
- Awards and nominations
- Best Debut Director · Best Debut Director awards of 2012 · 2012 · win
- Production trivia
- The film marked Sridevi's return to film acting after a 15-year hiatus.; The film was inspired by Gauri Shinde's mother, a Marathi-speaking woman who ran a pickle business.; The film was shot mostly in New York.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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