MANAGEMENT LESSONS FROM MOVIES (MLM)

Subject Code: BM63069

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REPORT ON THE MOVIE –

ENGLISH VINGLISH

Group 7
Name Roll No
Jayadev P 20BM63036
Melvin Mathew Shaji 20BM63044
Nandagopal Gopalakrishnan 20BM63050
Vijay Karotra 20BM63099
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CONTENTS
Summary...................................................2
Key Takeaways: Management Lessons......3
Conclusions...............................................7
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Summary

Shashi Godbole (Sridevi) is a housewife who makes and sells laddoos as a home-run business. Her
husband Satish, and daughter, Sapna take her for granted, mock her poor English skills and generally
treat her with disrespect, making Shashi feel negative and insecure. However, her young son, Sagar
loves her as she is, and her mother-in-law offers her words of sympathy.

Shashi's older sister Manu, who lives in New York, invites Shashi's family to her daughter Meera's
wedding to Kevin. It is decided that Shashi will go to New York alone to help Manu organize the
wedding, and her husband and children will join her as the wedding approaches. During her flight to
America, Shashi is given inspirational advice by a fellow passenger. While Shashi is in New York, she
has a traumatic experience at a coffee shop due to her inability to communicate in English. Using the
money she made from selling laddoo's she secretly enrolls in a conversational English class that offers
to teach the language in four weeks, showing her resourcefulness at navigating an unfamiliar city
alone. Shashi quickly becomes a promising and committed student, earns everyone's respect with her
charming behavior and her cuisine, and gains self-confidence. Laurent becomes attracted to Shashi.
When he tries to kiss her on the rooftop of a building, Shashi pushes him away and runs off, but fails to
explain that she is married.

Meanwhile, Shashi's niece Radha, who is Meera's younger sister, finds out about her secret English
classes and is supportive of her pursuit. Shashi starts watching English films at night and does her
homework assiduously. To complete the English-speaking course and get a certificate, each student
must write and deliver a 5-minute speech. Shashi's family joins her in New York earlier than expected.
Shashi tries to continue attending class, but decides to quit because of schedule conflicts, and asks
Radha to inform David Fischer. The test date coincides with that of the wedding, and Shashi is forced
to miss the test.

Radha invites David and the entire class to the wedding, where Shashi's husband Satish is taken aback
at being introduced to a diverse group of people by his wife. Shashi gives a touching and an
enlightening toast to the married couple in English, surprising everyone who knew her as a typical,
conservative, Indian housewife. In her speech, Shashi extols the virtues being married and having a
family, describing the family as a safe space of love and respect where weaknesses are not mocked.
Shashi's husband and daughter regret treating her with disrespect. Her teacher David declares that she
has passed the course with distinction and issues her the certificate. Shashi thanks Laurent for "making
her feel better about herself". Shashi's family return to India; during their flight home, Shashi asks the
flight attendant in fluent English whether she has any Hindi newspapers in Hindi version.

KEYWORDS:

Challenges, Inspiration, Adaptability, Flexibility, Entrepreneurial Skills, Organisational Skills,

Leadership, Comfort Zone
Key Takeaways: 4

Management Lessons

MOVE OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE:

Sridevi is not treated as a human being in her own home; no one cares about her feelings; everyone is
only concerned with getting things done; nevertheless, when she travels to America and finds herself,
her own family is forced to recognize her brilliance. To establish a niche for ourselves, we must step
outside of our comfort zones.

READY TO DEFY THE ODDS:

The key to business success is a sense of pride in what you do. Sridevi had been manufacturing
laddoos under the name “laddoo maker,” but when she started the teaching course, she was referred to
as “entrepreneur” in the introductory phase, which instilled a sense of dignity in her about the work she
was doing.
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ALWAYS BE IN THE PROCESS OF LEARNING:

It’s never late to start something new. As they say, age is just a number, so instead of crying over the
time lost and undermining oneself, it’s better to value-add by learning something new-something that
you had always wanted to do but couldn’t because of time, money or other constraints. Sridevi
rediscovered herself when she started learning English at a ripe age.

TRUST YOURSELF:

Your individuality defines you, so trust yourself and be open to challenges in life. After all, you are the
one who can make your dreams come true. Instead of accepting life as it is, Sridevi took up the
challenge of bettering herself. Why keep on regretting things when you can take charge and turn
situations in your favor?

Take pride in whoever you are and whatever you do! Sridevi thought of herself as a mere ladoo maker
but when she realized and was called an entrepreneur, she found that aura of pride and dignity in what
she did, thus satiating her mentally, without changing an iota of her work.
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LEARN FROM YOUR EXPERIENCES:

It is said that there is always a first time for everything. While we fail to understand the importance of
the first attempt, English Vinglish taught us how special the first experience is in everything, be it the
first flight, first solo trip or first trip to the US and much more. The first experience can be successful
or can be a disaster, but it will always be close to your heart.

ADAPTIBILTY & FLEXIBLITY:

Nothing should stop you from learning a new language or a new culture. If you appreciate your culture
enough, learning won’t come at the dispense of what you stand for. Sridevi couldn’t be herself with her
Indian family, but she enjoyed life freely with her friends of different nationalities in her English class.
So, it doesn’t matter where you were born, what’s your religion, or what your nationality is, you can
find true friends anywhere in this world.
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Conclusions

 The most educative part of the film is the spoken English class which motivates the society
about the necessity of learning English in the present-day world and the scene includes some
funny dialogues too to get amused

 In the Indian culture, a woman’s identity is typically subsumed by the family with whom she
has married, but ENGLISH VINGLISH emphasizes the importance of maintaining one’s
uniqueness at all times

 Friendships formed outside of the connected boundaries of blood are appreciated, as it was in
the film when Sridevi’s niece and classmates provided her with a sense of dignity in her life