English Vinglish Film Analysis

Kapil Kanagal

COMPLIT 247

English Vinglish Film Analysis

27 April 2015

Food Culture and Gender Roles

            In the film English Vinglish, food plays an important role in highlighting differences in gender norms between Indian and American culture. In the film, the main character Shaasi is an Indian housewife who supplements the family’s income by making and selling her famous ladoos. However, she is stigmatized by her husband for making ladoos and by her daughter for her inability to speak English.

By presenting Shaasi as an uneducated housewife, the film effectively buys into traditional gender roles and relegates the role of women in Indian culture. Specifically, her husband’s belief that she should not make ladoos for anyone besides him reveals the male-dominated hierarchy inherent in Indian family structure. Culturally, this stems from the fact that it is viewed as Shaasi’s duty to make food for her husband. This is highlighted in the scene where Shaasi explains to the French cook that his cooking is viewed as art because he is a man, but her cooking is viewed as a duty because she is female. However, the Frenchman refutes this idea by explaining that food is art, regardless of the gender of the cook. This comment highlights the stark difference between the gender roles that Shaasi has been inculcated with in India and those that she is exposed to in the United States. Additionally, the Frenchman’s comments also expose Shaasi to the idea that she serves a role outside of simply being a domestic housewife.

            Shaasi is further exposed to the idea that she is more than a housewife, when the teacher of her English class introduces her to the word “entrepreneur.” Shaasi is at first confused as to what this means, but attaches value to it, as it helps inspire confidence in her. Furthermore, she even tells her husband that she was called an “entrepreneur.” He responds in a very amused manner and questions if she has been making ladoos for others while in the United States. This response demonstrates that Shaasi’s husband is unable to view her actions as legitimate. By delegitimizing her actions, her husband propagates gender stereotypes that marginalize Shaasi’s role in society by confining her to the singular role of a domestic housewife.

            Furthermore, the ladoos play a significant role towards the end of the movie when Shaasi is forced to choose between attending her English final and cooking more ladoos. She ultimately decides to cook the ladoos, which illustrates the idea that the gendered culture her husband has propagated has influenced her priorities and decision-making. By choosing to make the ladoos, she reinforces her role as a “domestic housewife,” instead of challenging traditional gender roles and taking the English final. This furthers the notion that Indian culture heavily buys into the gender binary, which in turn can lead to the marginalization of women like Shaasi. Instead, English Vinglish should have altered the story to have Shaasi challenge these traditional gender norms, in order to utilize the film as a conduit to promote women’s equality.