ZANKHANA VATHANI

ROLL NO 95
R .R EDUCATIONAL TRUST AND COLLEGE
SUB: CONTEMPORARY INDIA AND EDUCATION

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF AN EDUCATIONAL FILM

 INTRODUCTION

FILM: ENGLISH VIGLISH

A housewife and caterer,
Shashi, is usually mocked by
her family for not knowing
English. Her attempt to learn
the language helps her
rediscover herself and
reassert her value as a
mother and a wife.
 THE FILE IS ABOUT

The narrative revolves around a

woman named Shashi, a small
entrepreneur who makes snacks.
Shashi enrolls in an English-
speaking course to stop her
husband and daughter mocking
her lack of English skills and gains
self-respect in the process. The
protagonist, played by Sridevi, was
inspired by Shinde's mother.
 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
World is a small place: 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.

It is a small place and we can all be united by human feelings. Rather than being biased towards others in the
name of religion, nation etc. it’s better to value each other as human beings.
Technology is updating and so should you: When Sridevi couldn’t attend her classes, her French friend helped
her attend classes by putting his cellphone on speaker. You too can stay connected on the go with all your
friends and colleagues with Office 365 and scale new heights in your business with Cloud - latest in IT
technology.

These were lessons I learnt from English Vinglish movie. Do let me know what inspiration you got from this
movie or any other films with lesson that you remember. :)
World is a small place: 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.

It is a small place and we can all be united by human feelings. Rather than being biased towards others in the
name of religion, nation etc. it’s better to value each other as human beings.
Technology is updating and so should you: When Sridevi couldn’t attend her classes, her French friend helped
her attend classes by putting his cellphone on speaker. You too can stay connected on the go with all your friends
and colleagues with Office 365 and scale new heights in your business with Cloud - latest in IT technology.

These were lessons I learnt from English Vinglish movie. Do let me know what inspiration you got from this movie
or any other films with lesson that you remember. :)
 OPINION ABOUT THE FILM
World is a small place: 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.

It is a small place and we can all be united by human feelings. Rather than being biased towards others in the
name of religion, nation etc. it’s better to value each other as human beings.
Technology is updating and so should you: When Sridevi couldn’t attend her classes, her French friend helped
her attend classes by putting his cellphone on speaker. You too can stay connected on the go with all your
friends and colleagues with Office 365 and scale new heights in your business with Cloud - latest in IT
technology.

These were lessons I learnt from English Vinglish movie. Do let me know what inspiration you got from this
movie or any other films with lesson that you remember. :)
 TARNISH THE OVERALL STORY
Life begins when one moves out of comfort zone:
Although a perfect home maker, Sridevi couldn’t even get the appreciation of her family members, but when she
moved out of her comfort zone and learnt English, she found a new herself and her family started valuing her as an
individual- one that was her true self.

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 oneself completely: ‘If you ever need a helping hand, it's at your arm’s end.’ No one knows you better than
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?
Self-confidence is a beautiful thing: 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.

Don’t settle in a monotonous life, find some ‘me’ time: This is especially true in the context of Indian females, as mostly
after marriage, they devote themselves completely in the service of their family.

This leads to a monotonous life with zero confidence on their capabilities as a person who can do much more in life,
apart from home-making. This can lead to depression, but like Sridevi did in this movie- go out and be brave. Find some
‘me’ time, do all things that make you happy and you’ll see your life taking a 360 degree roundabout. After all there’s
only one life! :)
World is a small place: 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.

It is a small place and we can all be united by human feelings. Rather than being biased towards others in the name of
religion, nation etc. it’s better to value each other as human beings.
Technology is updating and so should you: When Sridevi couldn’t attend her classes, her French friend helped her
attend classes by putting his cellphone on speaker. You too can stay connected on the go with all your friends and
colleagues with Office 365 and scale new heights in your business with Cloud - latest in IT technology.

These were lessons I learnt from English Vinglish movie. Do let me know what inspiration you got from this movie
or any other films with lesson that you remember. :)
 PRODUCTION DIRECTION GENRE

The story of a quiet, sweet tempered housewife who endures small slights
from her well educated husband and daughter everyday because of her
inability to speak and understand English. She is resourceful and open-
minded but somehow these traits don't get noticed by them. Then one day
on a trip to visit her sister in Manhattan she decides to enroll in an English
Learners class and meets a host of new people who teach her to value
herself beyond the narrow perspective of her family.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family
Director(s): Gauri Shinde
Actors: Sridevi, Adil Hussain, Mehdi Nebbou, Priya Anand
Production: Eros Entertainment
8 wins & 15 nominations.
IMDB: 7.9
FAOUMS DIALOGUE OF
MOVIE
 PERFOMANCE OF LEAD CHARACTER

Thanks to spellbinding Sridevi, talented Gauri Shinde and the cast and crew who have done a remarkable job in
making 'English Vinglish' a wonderful cinematic experience. A film that aims straight for the heart of the viewer and
one that reminds of how learning a language and going to such classes can be so much fun.
 OVERALL STORY

A few years ago, a film came out, touted to be the comeback

film of the ever popular and almost legendary Sridevi. But the
film became so much more than that. English Vinglish may not
have been a revolutionary film in the usual sense, but it did
what most mainstream Bollywood films fail to do. It held up a
mirror to the contemporary Indian society, and one of its most
forgotten sections, the 'housewife.' It showed us a relatable story
of language, culture, a real contemporary marriage, and, most of
all, our mothers.
What stood out the most in the film wasn't the treatment of language, nor the dependency on English India has
cultivated, but the way our own mothers experience this. Growing up in urban middle-class homes, most of us learned
English as the preferred second language, and some of us even fell into it as our first language. And in this adaptation,
we left behind our mothers. While they encouraged us to pursue excellence in the foreign language, because, yes,
English is after all foreign to us, knowing that a command over it will help us immensely in building successful lives,
they simultaneously watched us drift away from them.
Much is lost in translation in these times, where culture and society are constantly changing in India, and it is a daunting
task to bridge that gap. But if not for anyone else, we must do it for our mothers. We must do it for the ones who stood at
the door watching us go to school, knowing each day we were getting a bit farther and farther away from them. If
nothing, let's use this film and its beautiful portrayal to remind ourselves that language and mindset may be a barrier, but
it is not everything. Let's take some time to sit and talk with our mothers, to take her out to places she hasn't been, and
try to learn her story as well.

Sridevi's struggle to learn and understand English isn't just a story of how we think of people who aren't fluent in it, it
is simultaneously a commentary on what life is like for a lot of Indian women. Her struggle to learn English is a
struggle to get back to her children and even her husband.

The relevance of the film is not going to ebb away anytime soon because this divide between two generations is not
going to go away either. As more and more of us start to embrace English as our preferred language, at least outwardly,
there are always going to be those who aren't as adept at it. It may be our mothers, our grandmothers, even fathers or
our friends from a different social or economic circles, but that gap is real.
Because a language doesn't only come with new letters and words, it comes with its own culture, a whole set of norms, its
own jokes, and its own worldview. The more people like us, the children of middle-class Indian parents, found ourselves
immersed in English, the more we created a distance between our mother tongues and our mothers.

In English Vinglish, Sridevi gave us the perfect representation of this. She captured the emotions and experiences of all
the mothers who are homemakers, who, until their children brought back English notebooks and books from school,
hadn't really interacted with the language. It showed us the innocent embarrassment many of us felt when our mothers
would accompany us to an event where one had to converse in English. Even if we barely spent time with our over-
worked fathers, or had a closer connection with our mothers, on that day, we would turn to the parent who spoke English
better (more often than not, our fathers)
EDUCATIONAL IMPORTANCE OF FILM
Here’s 5 moments from English Vinglish that were vital lessons for mothers in Indian families today.

1. Follow your instincts

In New York, Shashi finds a friend and companion in her English class. Laurent and Shashi form an unlikely friendship
that always has an undercurrent of love. However, when Laurent tries to kiss Shashi, she backs away and stops him. For
someone who meekly gave into her family, here’s one of the big moments where Shashi asserts herself.

2. Your children are not your identity

While Shahshi has dedicated her life to her family and kids, they begin to take her for granted. They say hurtful things
without even realising it and almost don’t look at her with a human being with feelings. After spending some time away
from her kids, Shashi finds herself once again and is able to show her family how they have been ignoring her.

3. It’s never too late to make new friends

Ever since getting married Shashi’s life is restricted to her family and family friends. However, once she moves to
New York for a week, she forms a strong friendship with her nice Radha and then creates a whole new group of
supportive friends at her English classes which has people from around the world. They help her change her
perspective of life and make her a better person.
4. Don’t limit yourself
Over the years Shashi has perfected the art of cooking and is a master of making Ladoos. However, her family
would have her believe that the only thing she is good at is being in the kitchen. Despite their ridicule when she
tries to learn English, she refuses to give up and eventually finds a way to prove them wrong.

5. Don’t shy away from a guilt trip

This is not a moment that women would need to learn about. Shashi kept the fact about her learning English hidden
from her family even after the joined her in New York. She is afraid that they will make fun of her again. However,
when the moment comes she puts them in her place by publicly showing her English speaking skills and giving them
a massive guilt trip, Indian mother style!

Watch her co-star Adil Hussain’s film Pareeksha which is a film highlighting the flaws in the Indian Education
system.
 Conclusion.
The premier show of "English-Vinglish" has received a standing ovation at the Toronto film festival. And this is
no surprise at all. Director Gauri Shinde has created the specialized characters who will be remembered for a long
time although they have very short duration to play in the file.

A woman can change her situation, love herself, and get the family to love her back. It is a winning theme for a
film, rife with dramatic possibilities—the underdog, her struggles, her victory against the odds.