English Vinglish is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language comedy drama film written and directed by Gauri Shinde. The film stars Sridevi as Shashi Godbole, a small-time entrepreneur who makes snacks and sweets. Shashi enrolls in an English-speaking course to stop her husband and daughter mocking her poor English, and gains self-respect in the process. Shashi was written by Shinde, inspired by her mother. The film marked Sridevi's return to film acting after a 15-year hiatus; it also features Adil Hussain, French actor Mehdi Nebbou, and Priya Anand. Amitabh Bachchan makes a cameo appearance in the film's original version, whereas Ajith Kumar replaced him in the same portions of the film that were reshot for the Tamil-dubbed version.
English Vinglish premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received a 5-minute standing ovation Before its release, the film was screened for the Indian press and critics. The film was released theatrically on 5 October 2012. It 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, grossing against a budget of .
English Vinglish won all of the Best Debut Director awards of 2012 for Gauri Shinde. It was shortlisted as India's official entry for the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. The film earned global acclaim at several international festivals and Sridevi was hailed as the "Meryl Streep of India" and the "female Rajinikanth".
Plot Shashi Godbole is a traditional Marathi homemaker in Pune who runs a small, home-based business making and selling laddoos. Despite her entrepreneurial spirit and dedication, her corporate-worker husband, Satish, and her teenage daughter, Sapna, routinely take her for granted. They frequently mock her poor English-speaking skills and treat her with casual condescension, leaving Shashi feeling deeply insecure and underconfident. Conversely, her young son, Sagar, loves her unconditionally, and her supportive mother-in-law offers her quiet words of sympathy.
When Shashi's older sister, Manu, who lives in New York City, invites the family to her daughter Meera’s wedding, it is decided that Shashi will travel to New York alone five weeks early to help organize the festivities. Satish and the children plan to join her later, closer to the wedding date. During her flight, a kind fellow passenger reassures her and gives her the confidence to navigate the journey. Upon arriving in New York, Shashi is warmly welcomed by Manu and her teenage niece, Radha. However, Shashi's transition is rocky; during a solo outing, she suffers a highly distressing experience at a local coffee shop where a rude barista berates her for her inability to order in English. Devastated, she is comforted on the street by another customer, a French chef named Laurent, who also struggles with the language.
Determined to overcome her limitations, Shashi uses her secret savings from her laddoo business to enroll in a four-week conversational English course. She navigates the unfamiliar subway system alone to reach the class, which is led by an empathetic instructor named David Fischer. Her classmates represent a diverse group of immigrants: Eva, a Mexican nanny; Salman Khan, a Pakistani taxi driver; Yu Son, a Chinese hairstylist; Ramamurthy, a Tamil software engineer; Udumbke, a quiet Afro-Caribbean man; and Laurent, the chef who comforted her. Shashi quickly stands out as a dedicated student, winning her classmates' respect with her warmth, resilience, and her delicious homemade laddoos.
As the weeks pass, Laurent becomes romantically attracted to Shashi's grace and kindness, creating emotional tension. When Laurent attempts to kiss her on a rooftop, Shashi, though flustered, gently pushes him away and flees, though she is unable to articulate in English that she is married. Radha eventually discovers Shashi's secret classes and becomes her biggest supporter, keeping the secret safe and helping her practice. Shashi studies diligently at night, watching English films and completing her homework. To graduate and receive her certificate, she must deliver a five-minute speech on the final day.
The plan falls apart when Satish and the children arrive in New York earlier than expected. One afternoon, while distracted by a call from Laurent, Shashi fails to notice Sagar playing, resulting in him falling and injuring his leg. Overcome with maternal guilt and labeling herself an irresponsible mother, Shashi decides to abandon her classes to focus entirely on her family. Furthermore, the rescheduled final exam date directly conflicts with the wedding day.
On the day of the wedding, Radha secretly invites Shashi's entire English class to the reception. Satish is astonished to find his wife hosting a diverse group of international friends. When the time comes for the wedding toasts, Shashi steps forward and delivers a beautiful, heartfelt speech in English. She speaks of the sanctity of marriage and family, describing a family as a safe haven where individuals should never be mocked for their weaknesses but instead supported and respected.
Her touching words deeply humiliate Satish and Sapna, who realize the emotional damage their past disrespect had caused. Moved by her eloquence and growth, David proudly declares that Shashi has passed the course with distinction, handing her the graduation certificate in front of her family. Shashi quietly thanks Laurent for his friendship and for making her feel valued. On the flight back to India, when the flight attendant asks if she would like a newspaper, Shashi confidently and fluently requests an English newspaper, leaving a proud Satish smiling beside her.
Cast
Sridevi as Shashi Godbole Adil Hussain as Satish Godbole Mehdi Nebbou as Laurent Priya Anand as Radha Desai Sulabha Deshpande as Mrs. Godbole Shivansh Kotia as Sagar Godbole Navika Kotia as Sapna Godbole Sujata Kumar as Manu Desai Rajeev R. as Ramamurthy Sumeet Vyas as Salman Khan Damian Thompson as Udumbke Cory Hibbs as David Fischer Maria Romano as Yu Son Ruth Aguilar as Eva Neelu Sodhi as Meera Ross Nathan as Kevin, Meera's fiancé Ashvin Mathew as Father Vincent Divya Seth Shah as Neelam, Rupa's mother Maria Pendolino as Jennifer
Cameo appearances Amitabh Bachchan as Shashi's co-passenger on flight Ajith Kumar as Shashi's co-passenger on flight (Tamil version)
Production
Development
English Vinglish is the directorial debut of Gauri Shinde, who previously worked as an advertisement filmmaker. The story was inspired by Shinde's mother, a Marathi-speaking woman who ran a pickle business at her house in Pune. Her mother was not fluent in English, which embarrassed Shinde as a child. In an interview, Shinde said, "I made this film to say sorry to my mother." The film started development in 2011 or earlier, and several plot points and cameo appearances were decided early on. English Vinglish garnered much media coverage because of Sridevi's comeback after nearly 15 years away from film production. According to Shinde, however, it was also difficult to get support for the film due to investors' attitudes about the protagonist being a middle-aged woman, and those who were interested wished to add changes, such as a dance number, based on the hype around Sridevi that Shinde felt would not match her vision. Producer R. Balki denied reports that the film was a remake or loosely based on the old television show Zabaan Sambhalke. However, the English tuition class scenes were confirmed to be similar to the show post-release.
The film also marked the Bollywood debut of South Indian actress Priya Anand, who previously worked in the Tamil and Telugu film industries. This film marked the debut of theatre actor Ashvin Mathew. The film was being shot as of July 2011, and the principal photography concluded in October 2011. It was shot mostly in New York. Amitabh Bachchan shot for a cameo for the film for a day; Ajith Kumar reprised his role for the dubbed Tamil version without receiving payment and even flew in for the shooting at his own cost.
Promotion The first preview of English Vinglish was launched on 14 June 2012. The official distributor Eros International posted the preview video and poster on YouTube and Twitter. A 2-minute teaser showing Sridevi reading the Censor Certificate of the film in deliberately broken English was also released. The preview received positive response and was lauded for its unique and fresh concept. The full theatrical trailer was unveiled at a special media event on 13 August 2012 coinciding with Sridevi's birthday. It received a positive response and went viral on YouTube, exceeding one million views in a week. Sridevi's performance in the trailer was highly acclaimed by her fans and the media; the Hindustan Times said, "Sridevi casts a spell in English Vinglish!"
Music
The soundtrack and background score to English Vinglish was composed by Amit Trivedi and the lyrics were written by Pa. Vijay for the Tamil version, Swanand Kirkire for the Hindi version, and Krishna Chaitanya for the Telugu versions respectively. The album comprises six songs including a male and a female version of the title track "English Vinglish". Both versions of the soundtrack were released on 1 September 2012, in Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.
Release
Screenings at international film festivals In July 2012, English Vinglish was selected by the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and scheduled for a world premiere at the coveted Galas section of the festival. Sridevi's comeback made it a highly anticipated film and all shows at TIFF sold out during advance booking. The premiere took place at the Roy Thomson Auditorium on 14 September and was attended by Sridevi, Mehdi Nebbou, R. Balki, Gauri Shinde and other members of the cast and crew. At the end of the premiere, the full-house audience gave a 10-minute standing ovation.
After the Toronto premiere, some international media outlets hailed Sridevi as the "Meryl Streep of India". 2 weeks later, America's entertainment weekly Variety wrote in its review of English Vinglish that it found Sridevi "[d]isarmingly charming in a manner that recalls Audrey Hepburn." English Vinglish was selected to be showcased in December 2012 at the Marrakech International Film Festival; it was screened to an audience of around 15,000 viewers and was attended by Sridevi, Shinde, Balki and Nebbou.
In February 2013, English Vinglish was screened at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival as part of Indo-German Film Week. Shinde conducted a screenwriting workshop and spoke about the film and women's rights in India.
The film had its US premiere at the 36th Portland International Film Festival. Writer and critic David D. Levine praised the film, saying "[t]hough it's not a musical, strictly speaking, there's quite a bit of music and dance, and the film is laugh-out-loud funny and heart-rending by turns ... My favorite film of this PIFF. 5 stars out of 5." In April 2013, English Vinglish was selected to play at the third Beijing International Film Festival and the International Film Festival of Panama. In May the same year, it won the 'Best Visiting Artist' award at the San Diego Film Festival. Andrew Friedenberg, director of the Cinema Society of San Diego announced that English Vinglish "dominated the voting".
Indian premiere