All about English Vinglish

For the 49-year-old actor,who took a break from films 15 years ago,English Vinglish offered a character that she could slip into. The film is about a middle-aged Indian housewife,Sashi,settled in the US,whose inferiority complex about her weak English makes her take up spoken English classes. “I grabbed the offer; I loved the script and instantly connected with it as a mother and a woman,” said Sridevi.

Similarly,for Shinde it couldn’t have been better. Not only did she need a big name,but also someone who could strike a fine balance between great acting and stardom. “I have always seen Sridevi as a performer — not just a diva,but a star who could become the character when required. In this film,too,you will see Sashi and not Sridevi,” she said. But will that disappoint fans who go looking for the Sridevi they knew and grew up with? “That doesn’t happen when you have an exceptional performer; I have seen Amitabh Bachchan do that before and now Sridevi; they can undo all the starry expectations a fan carries to a movie,and make them root for the character instead,” said Balki.

Talking about the nuances of the film,Shinde said she drew mostly from what she was familiar with. While she based Sashi’s character on her mother,who was educated in a Marathi-medium school and whom Shinde had seen facing similar problems,she was careful to not overdo it. “I didn’t want it to be excessively Maharashtrian — that sort of portrayal,which is well practiced in Bollywood,sometimes makes it hard to connect with,” she said. Amid New York’s highrises and buzzing cafes,the director found the perfect setting for her film — where her protagonist would feel intimidated enough. “I know New York well,and I know an environment like that makes a woman like Sashi feel like a nobody,” she said.

Sridevi might be in the thick of the film’s promotion right now,but for the last 15 years she almost shunned the limelight for domesticity and motherhood. But there were other interests which kept her busy. “I love shopping and travelling,which I did a lot of in these 15 years. Painting is something that I always liked doing,I could give them a whole day when I wanted,” she said.

English Vinglish is the first film of Sridevi’s that her daughters saw on the big screen. That has resulted in a strange problem for the actor. “Now,at times they tell me,‘Mama,today you are behaving like Sashi,’” she said.

For a detailed coverage,check Screen dated October 12.