Jitesh Pillai's review of Lamhe back in 1991!

Jitesh Pillai of Bombay went from writing to Filmfare to editing Filmfare. 

Not sure about the sloppy writing above... 

TBT: When Jitesh Pillai reviewed Lamhe in Filmfare

 

Now editor of Filmfare, Jitesh Pillai's review of Lamhe that was published in the magazine back in 1991!

"A turgid storyline is salvaged by Sridevi's joie de vivre. Anil Kapoor looks fresh without this moustache and puts up a competent act. Since zero would be too high a score for Deepak Malhotra's experiments in the acting department, one might instead concentrate on his smashing looks. Manmohan Singh's camera which glides over the verdant locales of Switzerland and England. Shiv-Hari's inspired score and Yash Chopra's glitzy direction truly raise Lamhe above the banal.

-- Jitesh Pillai, Bombay."

Flashback Friday: Initial reviews of Lamhe in Sunday magazine back in 1991: Love's Labour Lost!

 

Flashback Friday: Initial reviews of Lamhe in Sunday magazine back in 1991!

Love's labour lost! 

A long film recap (where's the review?!). 

Writer Surajit Agarwal has spent a lot of the page's real estate on simply narrating and re-telling the story of the film. Published immediately after the film's release (and long before social media and the internet as we now know it!), for those who hadn't seen the film, there are too many spoilers and reveals.

Excerpt:

"The same old love story Lamhe is not. Yes, a Bollywood offering and like so many other movies in recent times, it is also all about love.

But that is about the only thing Lamhe has in common with other movies. Oh, there is one more thing - the cast.

Anil Kapoor and Sridevi play the lead roles. In fact Sri plays a double lead. For Anil Kapoor, it's been quite a journey from Woh Saat Din to Ram Lakhan to Lamhe. One that has taken its toll on him. Not only has he lost his famous moustache but his whacky sense of humour, on display in Ram Lakhan, was also conspicuously absent. Not only does he not laugh, he condescends to smile in only a couple of scenes.

The new-look Anil Kapoor is a NRI who comes to his home-state Rajasthan for a visit and falls in love with a buxom beauty dancing in the rain. The lady in question, Sridevi, turns out to be older than him. No problem for our Romeo for, as he says, "one of us has to be older." So he traipses across the desert, listens to morni baga ma bole aadhi raat ma, and Keeps Pallavi's (Sridevi) payal when it accidentally drops.

Then tragedy strikes..."

Sunday Mail, December 1991

 

Lamhe: Music Review: Published in MOVIE magazine in 1990

A throwback to the first review of Lamhe's music album - note its the 'cassette' that's mentioned. Now you can't find a player for love nor money. 

I remember it was my fav CD - and was so annoyed I had to buy another one which had the title song Yeh Lamhe, Yeh Pal Hum, which was added later. In addition, there was new dance music! Spending HK$100 at Esquire Hong Kong to get the original copy - if you remember the good ol' days of CD sales. Was so obsessed with the movie, bought the two CDs, cassette, VHS tapes and even the laser disc!! 

MOVIE magazine's review; 

Lamhe (HMV)
Anil Kapoor, Sridevi

Like softly cascading spring blossoms, the numbers slide easily on your ears.  The Yash Chopra Shiv-Hari combo that had illuminated Lata's luminosity with moonstruck melodies in Chandni, now give us a follow up that doesn't fall down.  

True, the first time I heard the songs, they sounded like reheated leftovers from Chandni, but soon innocuous numbers like Meri Bindiya, Megha-re-megha, Yaad nahin, Bhool Gaya, and Choodiyaan Khanak Gayee wrapped themselves around my subconscious until I found myself humming along. 

All in all, a cassette with musical hues as inveigling as the Rajasthani desert, which forms the backdrop of the film. And so what if even Lata goes slightly breathless in places, and an Ila Arun sounds like foghorn on the blink.  I guess she's what they call an acquired taste.

--Published in MOVIE magazine in 1990. 

PS: Isn't it funny how for a music review, there's little mention of the lyricist, musicians, singers, apart from Lata Mangeshkar.

Lamhe was released on this day 33 years ago - ie November 4, 1991. Was my favourite Sridevi film for years, as it was for many, many NRIs. 

• Over 150 posts and galleries about Lamhe here.

7 years of Sridevi's swansong, Mom: A National Award winning performance

7 years of Sridevi's swansong, Mom: A National Award winning performance. 

Well, she should have won it years before... 

The performances elevated the film and its predictable plot. For Sridevi fanatics who were surprised at the lukewarm reception the film got from film-critics, no film is released in a vaccum, but in context. Imagine being the poor slob who has to watch incessant rape-films with the avenging parent plot line, again and again. And again. Maatr had just released weeks before with Raveena Tandon, the Marathi film Ajji, and later Bhoomi. 

It was the film industry's trigger response to the horrors of the headlines of that year. You can't find  justice in real life, find catharsis in reels. 

The cast did a phenomenal job in this movie - not a single character was off pitch. Sajal and Sridevi were in a league of their own. Nawaz's look and antics were written about a lot but, Nawaz is always good. 

The film has the infamy of being the great Sridevi's last film so will have a longer shelf life than most other movies of the genre. But in her 200+ film repertoire, there are other peaks and valleys. 

 

TBT: The first review of Mr.India: Anil Kapoor and Sridevi's first blockbuster: Shekhar Kapur's Classic

The principal photography of Mr. India began on 6 July 1985, and the film finally released on 25 May 1987 ie 37 years ago today!!

A rare find (left), and major throwback, the early reviews of the experimental, high-concept film that became an all-time favourite of a generation, Mr.India. 

I believe this was published in Filmfare magazine back in 1987. Excerpt;

Desi Superman

Mr India heralds a new hero who does the disappearing act to turn the tables on the enemies of the nation. And has a lot of fun in the process. 

Too much pre-release hype can boomerang. So much was promised by Mr India--the last Salim-Javed script to be directed by Shekhar Kapur who had Masoom to live up to. The story is a judicious mix of many imported and indigenous elements not taking itself too earnestly thought all those elevating sentiments of patriotism, of the common man fighting the internal and external enemies are present. These cliched props of sentiment, suitably updated to keep nice with the times are as inevitable as that deadly foreign hand insidiously working to destabilise our country. In fact, Mr India repeats the destabilising mantra with such repetitive run that you wonder if Salim-Javed and Kapur are not having you on. Besides, there is this uncanny anticipation of the current scenario--the villain Mogambo who wants to destroy India prior to conquering it and struts about like a megalomaniac in a blond wig and an outlandish uniform embroidered with zari dragons and stomping along on cowboy boots. He also demands the Nazi salute. This composite bad man is modeled on those extravagantly mad villains who make the Bond films such fun. Mr India could have been high camp but the production company of Kapoor and Kapur (Boney Kapoor and Shekhar Kapur) believes in marathons of stretching a gag till it snaps with a rebounding effect. They don't believe brevity is the soul of wit. 

Mogambo only provides the outlandish extravagance demanded by the scale of the film. They couldn't have Krypton and Gene Hackman. So they settle for a mad Mogambo (Amrish Puri) doing a parody of a latter day Chengiz Khan who has read Indian history very assiduously. To counter his diabolical plans for India is another avatar of Brahmachari. Arun Verma (Anil Kapoor) doesn't have Shammi Kapoor's breezy vitality but he tries hard. And comes up with an over-grown boy scout charm. He runs an orphanage on lots of love and very little money made form giving music lessons. The gaggle of youngsters are not individualised except for the cherubic Tina--finally made into a sacrificial lamb to feed Arun's righteous anger and pull our heartstrings. There is also the bespectacled Jugal, a sly conspirator who knows that the mysterious hero Mr India is none other than the harmless Arun bhaiyya. Kapur is marvelous with children even en masse. They are endearingly believable not the revolting moralists wished on us in film after film prattling high sermons in childish lisps. 

The film is undoubtedly Sridevi's. As Seema, the intrepid reporter of the 'Crimes of India', with an editor who is being driven mad by the vagaries of Bombay telephones, she is equal to any occasion. Initially, she's prickly with the children till they melt her heart which should've turned into stone if she were a rime reporter worth her typewriter. She sizzles as Miss Hawa Hawaii, cabaret dancer extraordinaire doing a combination of belly dancing and other gyrations born of the choreographer's fevered imagination, with élan. Even if it is an overweight élan. The director gives her the privilege of a Chaplin homage. The set piece in a tough gambling joint where Seema goes on rampage a la Charlie is not strictly necessary for the plot but is a loving homage to slapstick. Can a Hindi heroine escape drenching, even if she is number one? The I love you number is a blue one--literally as well as in its orgasmic writing by the lovelorn heroine. To balance this is the sprightly parodic medley of past hits, quite amusing. More amusing than Roshanlal of Buniyaad trying to date the events through his offkey rendering of popular film songs. Here, it is an occasion for self-congratulatory nostalgia for Laxmikant-Pyarelal. 

Mr India announces that India has come of age as far as special effects go. The tricks of an unseen man entering a room sitting on a chair, draining a bottle of Thrill and smoking a cigar will do Hollywood proud. Where the firm of Kapoor and Kapur has slipped is in wrapping up Mr India much too neatly with no room for surprises or a sequel. When they domesticated Superman into a softie and transplanted H.G.Wells' Invisible Man to a beachside Bombay bungalow, they should have kept Mr India's identity secret from Seema-Lois Lane. But leaving a love story dangling midway, however tantalisingly is anathema to our box-office formula. Here was a chance to create a comic stirp hero with a series of adventures keeping the heroine mooning about Mr Mysterious while the modest half of the hero looks on with amused knowingness. This demands a sophistication which the film makers are not willing to concede to the audience or to themselves. 

-- Maithili Rao

Bombay June 22-July 6, 1987

• We have of course 87 posts, 100+ images and features about Mr India here.
• News about Mr India 2 over the past 25 years here!

Sridevi lights up 'Malini Iyer': First Review of Sridevi's only sitcom from 2004

Sahara's latest offering, produced by Boney Kapoor, Malini Iyer ushers in a different genre of programming. A comedy with an emotional undercurrent complete with the Sahara brand of opulence.

Launching on 19 January, 2004 at 9 pm, the bi-weekly marks the television debut of Superstar Sridevi, who is back in the limelight after a six-year hiatus. 

First things first, the writer seems to have done his job well. Not only does the show have its humour quotient intact, it also manages to get the correct emotion mix and the right momentum to keep the viewer glued till the last scene.

In an era, where most makers focus on gimmicks rather than a good story, Malini Iyer seems to stand out as an exception. Here's a serial that's refreshingly different from the rest of the fare on the small screen. The focus is clearly on content, and not on performing endless poojas, rituals, and extreme get ups, atrocious facial expressions, never-ending plotting or constant bitching sessions.

Don't go by the inaugural episode though. Latter episodes do not follow the mediocre launch's footsteps. The story is about a Punjabi family - Sabarwal - with Vijay Kashyap and Sushma Ahuja playing the patriarch and matriarch respectively. The family fortunes are built up on Daddyji's (Kashyap) automobile business. Sadly, his sons aren't keen on lending their father a helping hand. The elder one (Vinay Pathak) is addicted to gambling, the second son (Mahesh Thakur) aspires to graduate from being the twelfth man in the cricket team to being selected in the final eleven, and the youngest one (Kamlesh) dreams of being a film star.

Speaking about the histrionics of the leading characters, the jokes cracked by Daddyji have a knack of getting on the nerves, while the three sons appear quite lost. But just when you are contemplating on writing off this show as a loud and nonsensical comedy, enters Sridevi AKA Malini Iyer nee Sabarwal... and she lights up the screen completely and all the creases are flattened out. As if on cue, other actors start upping their respective performances. Such is the magical presence of the actress, who has thankfully not lost her zing for comedy.

Sridevi's mannerisms and dialogue-delivery are as superb and spontaneous as ever. It needs some scratching of the memory cells to recall that it has been about a decade since she reigned over Bollywood. Her return to the arc lights have certainly been seamless. She knows exactly what the shot requires. She doesn't underplay and neither does she go over the top.

"Once the camera rolls, Sridevi just lets herself go. Off the camera she is reserved, but once the shoot begins there is a complete transformation," remarked Tanushree who plays Vinay Pathak's wife and Malini Iyer's sister-in-law.

Going back to the script. Mahesh Thakur has married a South Indian girl, Sridevi, without his parents' knowledge, but they welcome her with open arms. Her entry scene is obviously dramatised complete with the 'paaye lagus', 'diyas' and 'aartis', but that's about it. The show is about how the family keeps getting into difficult situations and this bahu bails them out every time, and while doing the good deed also imparts some moral thoughts for them to ponder upon.

In one such situation is a gang-lord played by Manoj Joshi (Mayor Saab of Kehta Hai Dil fame) bullying the Sabarwal family to give their house over to his possession. The act where Malini Iyer tames the gang-lord is a scene worth recommending. 

While the premise may be about a lady and her family, the show is episodic in nature. A particular story completes in two or three episodes.

The idea is not just to make you laugh or cry, but to make you think. Take the gang-lord episode for instance, the teaching clearly indicates that even today in the times of violence and bloodshed, love can win over anybody. 

Sridevi has done full justice to her role. It is a beautiful role of a woman who loves the family she is married into, yet will not give up her identity. Plus, she fights all the obstacles in life in a no-nonsense manner. Thus, making Malini Iyer a good mix of Tulsi and Rajni.

On occasions, she may start rambling in Tamil especially when she is overjoyed or livid, but before these become too long, she packs a punch in English. Remember the promos - B.A. in Tamil, jisme English bhi shaamil...?

Will Sridevi succeed, where Karisma Kapoor failed? While there is definitely no parallel between the acting skills of Sridevi and Karishma, the show clearly is better one in terms of content and performances.

Although it is his maiden television venture, Boney Kapoor seems to have created an engrossing fare. The only hitch could be the popularity (or rather lack of it) of the channel. But 'Malini Iyer' could easily be the first solid helping hand that Sahara is desperately seeking.

Produced by Boney Kapoor (Sridevi's husband), the serial is co-directed by Satish Kaushik, Sanjay Chhel, Sushma Ahuja, Nikhil Syani and Manjul Sinha.

By VICKEY LALWANI

Posted on 17 January 2004

Why ‘Mom’ Is One Of The Best Crime Thrillers Of Bollywood: Sridevi's Swansong and Title Role

Tried & Refused Production channel's look at the Hindi film Mom. 

TBT: This critique of Sridevi's singing for Chandni back in 1989: Sri joins the Off-Key Club!

TBT: This critique of Sridevi's singing for Chandni back in 1989: 

Fandom isn't slavery. We are hardcore Sridevi fans - obv -  that run this site and FB fan club but it doesn't mean we are immune to Sridevi's goofs either. There are smatterings of bad film choices, wardrobe malfunctions and makeup frights, leaving amazing films for questionable reasons and a few political affiliations that made us frown. 

We also had a billion reasons to love her - as she indeed was one in a billion. 

We aren't looking for a saint, we're looking at the actress Sridevi was - and entirely in a league of her own.  

So its tough but not impossible to write a critique of her films, performances, roles, choices on screen... Though, we mostly choose not to.

However, her singing... hmm. 

During the peak of her fame in 1989, we had difficulty digesting the title song of Chandni by its otherwise scintillating leading lady. The critics back then had a field day. Excerpt from Filmfare;
 

Sri joins the Off-Key Club! 

Excerpt: "Sridevi's' attempt at 'singing' , excuse me while I splutter.. in Chandni meri Chandni reminds you how skilled Sharda, Hemlata, Shabbir and the other members of the off-key club are." 

In later years, even Sridevi had a good laugh at the error of her ways, be it in song or film, dance or costume. We all gotta take the 80s with a pinch of salt... 

Ah its ok. Aaakhir Chaand main bhi daag hai... 

TBT: India Today's original review of Lamhe back in the early 90s: "Bubbly Sridevi, Jeetendra clone Anil!"

The original review of Lamhe published in India Today. 

Excerpt:

"Lovingly photographed and with the kind of music that lingers in the mind long afterwards. Yet, the film is eons away from Kabhi Kabhi or Silsila. The magic's just not there although the story of an older man in love with a much younger girl is relatively unusual. Kapoor without his signature moustache looks incomplete, almost a Jeetendra clone. The biggest disappointment is model Deepak Malhotra whose macho image gets drowned in a thin voice. Sridevi, of course, is her usual bubbly self."

"Sridevi is her usual bubbly self"

The Week: Decoding an Engima: The Sridevi bio

 

The Week: Decoding an Engima: The Sridevi bio 

TBT: Review of Khuda Gawah by g magazine: Sridevi shines

 Review of Khuda Gawah published in 'g' magazine in June 1992 issue. 

And the Award Goes to... Sridevi

Mellow with that hint of fierceness, haughty with the mist of tenderness, that’s Benazir, who easily outshines Mehndi, that too is Sridevi, bubbly, a la Lamhe. She looks as magnificent as Bachchan on the horseback and her erect back, her rhythmic bounce show her defiance and arrogance. When Bachchan fulfills her challenge, her insolence towards him changes to admiration. Her thrill and the prospect of marrying such a valourous man makes her drop her reserve for a moment. But in a minute, she deliberately gathers her customary poise and walks elegantly to receive him.

At the time of parting from him after a short blissful month, she beautifully conveys the control that the character exercises – the trembling hands, the quivering lips and the break in the voice – when the easiest thing would be break down.

Sridevi and Shilpa Shirodkar in Khuda Gawah

But it’s in the climax that she is absolutely superb. The slightly unhinged anguished woman is oblivious of the threat to her life. She comes alive when she senses her beloved’s presence. The aged Benazir wobbles towards her long-lost beloved for a reunion after 18 unbearable years of separation, amidst a holocaust of crossfire.

Sridevi as Benazir in Khuda Gawah (1993)

She touches with amazement the once beautiful black beard of her Badshah which has now turned hoary. The tenderness in her eyes speaks volumes about her pain of waiting, the wilting of her youth. And finally, the tigress rides once again as she preys upon her tormentor in the game of bushkashi.

 

38th Filmfare Awards

Won

• Best Director - Mukul S. Anand
• Best Supporting Actor - Danny Denzongpa
• Best Sound - Bhagat Singh Rathod & Kuldeep Sood

Nominated

• Best Film - Nazir Ahmed & Manoj Desai
• Best Actor - Amitabh Bachchan
• Best Actress - Sridevi
• Best Supporting Actress - Shilpa Shirodkar
• Best Villain - Kiran Kumar
• Best Female Singer - Kavita Krishnamurthy - "Tu Mujhe Qabool"

Sridevi in and as Roop Ki Rani in Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1993): Comedy Queen: Movie review

"The sublime touches come from Sridevi. Exceptionally well-tuned to comedy - as she proved with Mr India - Sridevi does a five-minute Madrasi-woman routine that is a formidable and rousing exhibition of her capabilities. It's the sort of sequence that makes you wish for a rewind button in the movies."

Excerpt from the movie review of Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja in India Today back in 1993. 

-- Read more at: India Today

Puli - Reviews: Sridevi stuns, the film bores

With much pre release hype, a film on the scale of Puli is bound to receive mixed reviews. To be fair, none of the below is a surprise. The good, the bad and the ?-able feedback from leading critics, online and print media. Here's the most relevant bits for us; comments on Queen Sridevi!

REVIEWS

There was a lot of interest around this week's dubbed release Puli, because of the presence of Sridevi in this big budget fantasy movie. Though Sridevi doesn't disappoint in the film, this big budgeted fantasy drama falters on many fronts… The story picks up in the second half as Sridevi gets the momentum going…Sridevi towers above them all with her star presence. She has dubbed her own lines in Hindi (though a few lines in the end were clearly dubbed by someone else). Even though she looks magnetic, she really deserved much better character graph.
Bollywood Hungama

Sridevi, who makes her comeback in Tamil films, has absolutely nothing to do other than look arrogant and evil. While her costumes might give you creeps, she hardly has 15 minutes of screen time and has less than 10 dialogues in the film. It baffles me why a veteran actress like Sridevi resort to play such a demeaning and worthless role.
BollywoodLife

"Things get a little better in the second half, thanks to Sridevi’s evil queen – she gets a better ‘hero entry scene’ than the hero himself. There’s some fun watching this diva play another diva"
The Hindu
  
Fantasy adventure film Puli managed to generate a lot of intrigue, thanks to presence of diva Sridevi, who returns to Tamil cinema after 29 years. But despite her effort, the film has nothing to hold your attention.

Sridevi plays Yamanadevi, queen of the fantasy kingdom of Vedalakottai. She belongs to the ferocious clan of Vedalam warriors, but is under the spell of its evil general, Jalatharangam (Sudeep).

Sridevi effortlessly outclasses these youngsters with her immense style and admirable performance.
Rediff Review 1 by S Saraswathi.

Puli wastes Sridevi on a silly, boring fantasy.

Puli makes for a truly bad trip, warns Raja Sen. By the time Sridevi shows up in the massive-budget fantasy epic Puli, its few charms have worn off and the iconic actress appears like an empress who’s shown up at an unimaginative costume party. What, however, does Sridevi do?

When we finally see her -- the striking veteran luring us into theatres with her badass maleficence in the trailers -- the film has tortured us past intermission point and there may be no turning back.

There isn’t.

Regal and out of place as she is, Sridevi gamely embraces the lunacy and starts walking up the side of a pillar… he second half, full of long one-on-one duels, is significantly better than the first -- but that’s largely because Sridevi’s around
Rediff
Review 2  by Raja Sen


"About the best things about Puli are Sridevi’s archetypal fairy tale queen..."
Scroll. in


"A huge Sridevi fan, I confess I rushed for my special screening of Puli to see her again… only to have to wait till after interval for her entry. Damn! Life sucks , specially because the best things of life are kept for later. Sri takes long to appear. But once she’s there everyone, including Tamil superstar Vijay, back off to let the Diva take centrestage as a wicked witch-queen who makes her adversaries climb the wall, when she is not busy doing so herself. As a possessed royalty Sridevi climbs up walls literally, stretches her hand to a mile to toast a drink (amiable, aren’t we?) appears and disappears at will. It’s a delectably seductive role tailormade for the Diva. She has massive fun with her role."
SKJBollywoodnews. com

Review of Chaalbaaz (1989): Sridevi overshadows all her costars

Review of Chaalbaaz (1989).

Excerpt:

"... Chaalbaaz is Sridevi's film. In the two roles of the meek Anju and the belligerent Manju, she hijacks all the attention. Sunny Deol and Rajnikant who play the romantic leads with the two Sridevis are more than adequate. But the film is Sridevi all the way. She charms with her ebullient act, and so much so that every one else is put to shade. Except in one scene where Rajnikant drinks kerosene thinking it is booze; all due to cleaning act by the meek Anju whom he mistakes for Manju. The film's plot was inspired by the Sanjeev Kumar-Hema Malni starrer Seeta aur Geeta, but Sridevi's characters ensure that it acquires an identity of its own."

Bollywood gives English-Vinglish a Thumbs Up

Since its release on October 5, English Vinglish has wowed critics and the audience alike. The film, heralded as Sridevi's comeback after a 15-year hiatus, has also given Bollywood Gauri Shinde, a new director to watch out for. It's been quite a while that a first-time director's work has generated such a buzz. We asked some industry biggies for their reactions to the film and here is what they said...

Amitabh Bachhan: It is such a beautiful film. I had a cameo in it that I enjoyed doing. The film itself was so touching. It was so moving without making any effort to move you. It just put facts together and yet it got to you with just the innocence. What a wonderful way to express women power. A very beautifully done film. Gauri Shinde is so so talented.

Vidya Balan. With the film, Sridevi has proved that a good actor's appeal is timeless. You connect with her the moment you see her on screen. To me, Sridevi has been, is, and will always be a complete actor.

Amole Gupte: Wow! Can I cook and send a dabba for the two rocking maharanis of India? Doni maaichya suer leki chandravar pochhiya ani ashroonch jahaale moti. (That's the Marathi song in the film: both the mothers' super daughters touched the moon). Wah Gauri! Wah Sridevi! No better this year. Bowing.

Ramesh Sippy: It's a very touching and delightful film. Between Gauri and Sridevi, they have brought this out in the most beautiful and subtle manner.

Excerpt from:
The Times of India
Flashback
175 Years of Entertainment Entertainment Entertainment

Aangilam Vaangilam (2012): English Vinglish is made in Tamil too: Superstar Ajith joins Sridevi instead of Amitabh Bachchan for the southern belt

A great stock of reviews of Aangilam Vaangilam - the Tamil-dubbed version of English Vinglish from various sites.

Aangilam Vaangilam

Sridevi's last Tamil movie was Naan Adimai Illai, way back in 1986. After more than two and a half decades, the sensational actress of India is back with multilingual movie English Vinglish.

The movie is a simple story of a middle-class housewife Shashi (Sridevi), who is not being treated well by her family, as she's not well-versed in the English language. In our country, we often see the English speaking men looking down at the non-English speakers. And director Gauri Shinde has pointed out this through her characters in English Vinglish.

Shashi's businessman husband and her two kids, does not respect her in the family. To come out from this insecurity and the tag of restricted-to-cooking woman, she decides to learn the language and joins an English-speaking centre to learn the language. There is also a good amount of funny interactions between her fellow students like a French chef, a Pakistani cab driver, a Mexican nanny, etc. The journey of her mastering the language and getting the deserved respect form the crux of the story. The story is told with a lot of wisecracks. For example: When a visa officer in Chennai asks her, "How will you manage in the US without knowing English," an Indian co-worker pokes his nose and replies, "Like you manage in this country without knowing Tamil." Likewise, there are many more witty remarks along the way.

The movie brings a lot real-life moments in the story. The fans of Ajith Kumar, who wait on their toes for his entry, have enough reason to blow whistles, as his welcome dialogue delivery is wonderful. "What is the purpose of your visit?" asks the visa authority and he responds, "I want to spend some dollars to help the American economy recover." The same role has been portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan in the Hindi version.

English Vinglish has a natural story, and Sridevi is the strength of the movie. One could not have expected a better role for her comeback movie than this. Her strong screen-presence and mind blowing performance are the highlights of the film. French actor Mehdi Nebbou, Adil Hussain, Navika Kotia, Priya Anand have played their part well. Last but not least, Ajith Kumar's cameo will leave you wanting for more of Thala.

Verdict: Must watch for Sridevi's fans.

Read more at: http://entertainment.oneindia.in/tamil/reviews/2012/english-vinglish-aangilam-vaangilam-review-100045.html

ENGLISH VINGLISH TAMIL MOVIE REVIEW
Review by : Behindwoods Review Board

Starring: Sridevi, Ajith, Mehdi Nebbou, Priya Anand, Adil Hussain Direction: Gauri ShindeMusic: Amit TrivediProduction: Sunil Lulla, R. Balki, Jhunjhunwala, R. K. 

Cinema is an entertaining medium that is meant to take the audience through a narrative format within a stipulated time and hence has to engross them, transport them to another world and put the ideas of the film maker into their head and then let them go and think about it or revel in it. Debutante Gauri Shinde just does all that is said above with English Vinglish. And Ms Shinde, take a bow for having delivered a product which is a celebration of life and all things good and positive!

And what a comeback for the most beautiful and talented artist of our times! Sridevi’s acumen should be lauded for selecting such a script for her return to the silver screen where she actually belongs.

EV is an endearing tale of a home maker who gives her heart and soul to her family but seeks just a little respect  that she truly deserves. That said, Shinde does not over dramatize things or bring in a sympathy factor. We have a protagonist in Sridevi who knows her priorities well but at the same time relents only for the overall happiness of her family. Nevertheless where it matters, she sure does raise and with graceful authoritative aplomb.

Needless to say, its Sridevi’s show all the way as she dominates the screen effortlessly! The beautiful face and the gamut of emotions that play around those gorgeous eyes are a joie de vivre experience. Sridevi’s magic begins the moment she turns her face to the camera and keeps the audience in her grasp for a long time. The cute little jive she does for her son, the exhilaration that she expresses when she is called an entrepreneur, the dignified manner in which she handles Mehdi Nebbou who loves her, the hurt she feels when her husband and daughter ridicule her, the anguish in an eat-out shop in America on not knowing the language are all just samples of what a power house performer that we have missed all these years.

Designer Sabyasachi should be appreciated here for dressing Sridevi in the most apt sarees that highlight her looks and character.

What instantly draws the viewer to this adorable tale of finding self-worth is its simplicity and earnest moments that bring out a few smiles here, a few touching moments there and an overall good feeling that stays with you long after you leave the hall.

Plaudits are due to Gauri Shinde for a taut and engaging screenplay that is devoid of any unnecessary or contrived sequences. She makes you root for her protagonist, smile with her, feel for her and be a part of her life through out. Her characters are real and identifiable.

Shinde is ably supported by her crew both on screen and off screen. Adil Hussain, the Ishquiya artist as Sridevi’s  husband, Mehdi Nebbou as the French chef who loves her, Priya Anand as her niece have all essayed their roles perfectly. The cute little son of hers is so natural and adorable that he lifts the spirits up whenever he appears.

Ajith’s cameo is highly enjoyable and he gets to mouth lines which are relevant and significant. As he says, it is good to learn a language but not knowing is not bad. It’s an impactful three minutes indeed!

Music Director Amit Trivedi transports you to a sound zone that is perfect for the film but the Tamil lyrics of Ammachi do not gel well though. The English learning sequences might remind viewers about Mind Your Language series but that cannot be helped as when it is about learning English, it is bound to have participants from varied nationalities.


On the whole English Vinglish is a delectably mounted tale of a woman by a woman who delivers it right the very first time in a charming fashion.

Verdict: Delightful, feel good film, go for it!


From Behind Woods. com http://behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-reviews/reviews-2/oct-12-01/english-vinglish-review-02.html

She's smarter by the syllable: Sridevi and English Vinglish gets major press in Hong Kong, China

Another thumbs up review for English Vinglish by Young Post. 4 out of 5 stars.

Published in Hong Kong.

A glowing snippet in Galaxy magazine, from Macau below.

See earlier feature with more glowing reviews from Asia here.

Earlier reviews from other non-Indian publications here.

From Galaxy magazine, "A dramedy set in New York and Mumbai, English Vinglish premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last September to near-universal critical acclaim. With the exquisite Indian movie star Sridevi leading the international ensemble cast, the film looks at the struggles of Shashi Godbole, a housewife grappling with the English language. Slighted by her educated husband and ridiculed by her teenage daughter, Shashi enrolls in an English-language course in an attempt to gain some respect. She encounters a motley crew of fellow students trying to cope as immigrants in New York, bringing plenty of moments of humor as well as pathos. 

English Vinglish - Reviews from the East

As English Vinglish opens to a potential audience of a further billion, we're super intrigued by the reviews that are coming out of the Asian sub-continent and collecting them here.

From South China Morning Post - SCMP.com

Film review
Lifestyle›Arts & Culture
Film review: English Vinglish
Thursday, 14 March, 2013 [Updated: 10:36]
By Yvonne Teh

Starring: Sridevi, Adil Hussain, Mehdi Nebbou
Director: Gauri Shinde
Category: I (Hindi, English and French)

English Vinglish will provide many Hong Kong cinemagoers with their introduction to its beautiful sari-clad star, Sridevi. But long-time fans of Indian cinema will already be familiar with the luminous actress who graced more than 200 Indian films before going into what looked like permanent retirement in 1997.

One and a half decades on, however, Sridevi has made a high-profile return in debutant director Gauri Shinde's endearing comedy-drama about a middle-aged Indian woman whose life is transformed by a fateful decision she makes while on a one-month visit to the US.

The faithful wife of business executive Satish Godbole (Adil Hussain) and loving mother of two, sweet Shashi Godbole (Sridevi) leads a typical upper-middle class housewife existence bar two things. On the positive side, she has an talent for making ladoos and channels that ability into selling the snack. Less happily for her, she also stands out within her social strata and nuclear family for being less than a fluent English speaker.

Shashi's lack of English-language proficiency sometimes exposes her to ridicule and scorn from her teen daughter (Navika Kotia) and condescension from Satish. Still, she doesn't truly feel undone by her English-language deficiencies until she experiences problems such as ordering at a New York cafe.

Resolving to remedy the situation, Shashi enrols in a crash course in English and finds herself in a class with a motley, multi-cultural crew and a flamboyant gay teacher (Cory Gibbs) who prove to be uncommonly friendly and supportive despite their hailing from diverse - at times even divergent - backgrounds. She also attracts the romantic admiration of French classmate Laurent (Mehdi Nebbou) - a development that prompts her to take a good look at her life and think about whether she's truly happy with it.

A warm-hearted film that the director has dedicated to her mother, English Vinglish admirably weighs against many forms of discrimination, including, but not restricted to, ones that stem from one's linguistic choices and facility. This movie about a woman who decides to show her husband and daughter she's better than they think she is also shows the perils of taking the familiar for granted.
Even as this film makes many pertinent moral points, it also delightfully entertains. Sridevi is undoubtedly the star and is responsible for much of the movie's spark, but the rest of the cast also impress and contribute to it being a thoroughly pleasing affair.

English Vinglish opens today [Thursday, March 14, 2013]

From DimSum Magazine, Hong Kong

Words: Russell Boaz

ENGLISH VINGLISH is a sweet, encouraging little Hindi film with a simple story but packed with much emotion.  The film tells the story about the transformation of Shashi Godvale (played by actress Sridevi), a housewife with low self-confidence.  Her husband does not seem to respect her, her daughter is embarrassed by her lack of English skills, and they both treat her with a sort of loving contempt.  One evening, they receive a phone call announcing the engagement of their elder niece and Shashi is needed to come help prepare for the wedding in New York City.  She is weary of going without her family because of her lack of English speaking abilities but they need to stay for work and school.   They convince her to go on her own and she sets off.  While she is there, she makes the decision to enroll in an English language learning course.   It is there that Shashi meets a group of classmates and teacher from all different backgrounds and we begin to see her gain self-confidence.
This film is a very simple tale that will leave you smiling coming out of the theater and maybe even shedding a tear or two.  Writer and Director Gauri Shinde has made a very positive film about overcoming one’s insecurities and gaining self-confidence.  He even included a little sub-plot about equality and includes gay characters in that plot.  Sridevi has not lost her talent as an actress (this is her first film after a 15 year hiatus to raise her children); she absolutely shines in this film.  She plays Shashi with such vulnerability and with such strength.  The plot pacing towards the end does get a bit choppy and there is one overly campy gay character that started to get on my nerves after a while but other than that this is a good little Bollywood film that I absolutely recommend you go see.

From Indonesia
Vendy Xiao

English Vinglish : Ordinary People Can Do Great Things With Great Love

For me, this film is very inspirational movie and i learn a lot from this movie. Because the story of Sashi is very similar to our ordinary life. The reason why i love Indian movie is that they usually teach something for us to learn from their film. This film try to tell about how great peoples can be if they already found passion in their life. Another important lesson i got from this movie is that never underestimate people, just by looking her job, position or educational background.In my daily life, i found that there are a lot of people who often underestimate other peoples just because of their appearance or  educational background. What Sashi do in this film make me realize and always keep in mind that ordinary people can be a great people and do something we never expect when they found their passion.

I also remember Mother Theresa ever said “Do small thing with great love“. I totally agree with this quote. Don’t assume that we have to do great things to be success in our life. Find what you love and do it with great love, and you will surprise with the result.

For you who haven’t watch this movie, i really recommend you to watch. Beside it’s very enjoyable, it also teach a lot of things. I can’t tell too much about the content of the movie, because i don’t want to spoil you who haven’t watch the movie. The thing is that i really love this movie because of its simple storyline and how it make me smile, laugh, moved by the story. 

Rediff: Best of 2012; English Vinglish

An infectiously charming Sridevi discusses her love for banana chips with her daughter's school principal even as her first born appears ill at ease. It's the moment you want to offer her a plate of her favourite snack and thwack her heartless kid.

A completely crushed Sridevi breaks down after she's berated by a rude cafe attendant. It's the moment when you can feel her trauma and helplessness.

A heartbroken Sridevi starts making ladoos from scratch instead of appearing for her exams when an unforeseen accident caused by her son leads to a floor filled with smashed sweets. It's the moment where her visibly sorry boy joins in to help; making you wish you could too.

A grace personified Sridevi delivers a wedding speech in acceptable (in her case triumphant) English expressing the qualities that make a marriage truly work to her newly married niece. It's the moment when we are looking at Adil Hussain's deservingly embarrassed disposition.

It's moments like these that make the predictable but precious accomplishments of a glorious Sridevi as Shashi Godbole -- one of the best comebacks Bollywood has witnessed in a long, long time.

Another round of applause for debutant director Gauri Shinde.

From Rediff