How humiliating it is in India to not know to speak in English!
Cannot speak English? Be humiliated in India!
Film Review – English Vinglish.
- A mother of a teenage daughter (played by Sridevi) cannot speak English well. Her daughter hates to take her to school because her friend’s mother can speak good English! She is reluctant to take her mother to school in parents-teachers meet lest her friends and teachers will come to know that she cannot speak good English …so basically is a ganwar (illiterate) female the daughter is ashamed to take around in public. The same daughter is ok with the fact that her mother is cooking and taking care of the home front – just that she should not get to meet her friends! Otherwise all other home-front requirements that a child needs from the mother is given to her and she is fine with it.
- Husband is working in an Advt. agency – speaks good English – yet married to her because he is an intelligent man who understands that the role of a wife has nothing to do with her knowledge of any particular language…any language for that matter – his priorities regarding wife-factor were clear cut! Bit of a belittling attitude towards his wife – he is fine with the fact that she is taking care of the home front plus even making some money on her own by selling ‘kishmish-topped-laddus’!
- Son, who is barely 4 -5 years old is the only one who is a bit attached to his mother – because he was still very dependent on her for reaching potty-seat and eating food etc. Keeping the family personality on mind – very soon, even he would alienate from his mother because of her poor English speaking skills!
- By chance, Sridevi gets an opportunity to visit the US to attend her niece’s wedding. She is surprised to see her own sister being so confident about staying in a foreign country all on her own! She was managing things quite well…to which her sister replies that her husband’s ever encouraging nature was the reason of her confidence. This saddens Sridevi a bit because all that she got by being a good wife and mother was just the belittling attitudes of her family members – and that too for as vague and stupid a reason as not being able to converse in English with friends, kith and kin!
- Sridevi then joins ‘spoken English’ and tries to improvise on her English speaking skills to surprise her family members!
- Last scene is so damn pathetic!! She tries to win the confidence and love of her family members by speaking in English…….oh! my – how humiliating is that! It’s like a female can be a pure Bi*ch as far as nature or character is concerned – but she can get away with anything if and only if she can speak in English!
This is pathetically yours,
India!!
