English Vinglish

'English Vinglish', Gauri Shinde's first feature is a likeable film, which gives us a silky- smooth first half, a slowed-down second, broad-brushstroke-y characters, and an actress who makes it all work. Despite the saucer-large eyes and too-squeaky delivery, Sridevi makes Shashi a living, breathing woman, who channels pain and joy and the subtle shades in-between with a look and smile and a tear. This is an actress who never really got to go full spectrum during the time she ruled Hindi cinema, confined as she was to the `latka-jhatka', the `lachka-thumka', the` hawa-hawaai'. Her attempts at English-vinglish allow her to dispense with the make-up, and the made-upness, and get the actor out from under.

English Vinglish