English Vinglish Response

Languages are an important part of India’s culture, especially as people strongly identify by the language they speak, form societal groups based on language, and often marry people who speak the same language. Even in the U.S., where assimilation and integration is more natural, there are still highly popular groups like Tamil Sangam and the US Hindi Foundation that bring together members of the Indian diaspora on the basis of language.

Therefore, it is interesting to see Gauri Shinde offer a very modern and insightful take on the topic of language and culture in English Vinglish. She uses the backdrop of a coming-of-age story (although with a much older housewife, Shashi) to emphasize that qualities like equality, kindness, and empathy are much more important than the bonds forged by language.

From the beginning, we see that although Shashi speaks the same language as her daughter and husband, Hindi, she is not able to connect with them, and they make fun of her and disrespect her. They are unable to understand her struggles and her insecurities and instead take advantage of her weaknesses. Despite their bond as family, their bond as Indians, and their bond as Hindi-speakers, they have an unhealthy, lopsided relationship. When Shashi meets Father Vincent, although they originally do not speak the same language, they are still able to communicate and form a connection through a blend of broken English and so-so Hindi – once again emphasizing that the medium of communication is not as important as the ability to be open-minded and understand one another.

When Shashi goes to New York, we see her more successfully connect with others despite the geographical and cultural divide. Shashi’s niece, Radha, understands Shashi’s desire to learn English and become empowered, and she supports Shashi in doing so. This is despite the fact that Radha has grown up in the US and speaks Hindi mixed with English in an American accent. Radha has a very warm heart and open mind and is able to see Shashi’s struggle to become strong and independent, and her personality ends up being far more important than the fact that she often speaks to her aunt in English.

Similarly, it is Shashi’s classmates who truly understand and accept her for who she is. They communicate in broken English as well as a hodgepodge of other languages from Spanish to French to Tamil. It is their actions and personalities, however, that bring them closer. They bring each other food prepared with love, they share hopes and dreams, they go to a movie together, they explore together. It is not the language that matters.

Shinde also supports this idea through the variety of inter-cultural relationships we see in the film. Laurent falls in love with Shashi, and they talk to each other in French and Hindi and somehow understand each other perfectly. Meera, Radha’s older sister, is getting married to an American man. There is no questioning of the appropriateness or validity of these relationships, despite the taboo against intercultural relationships. When Radha sees Shashi spending time with Laurent, she merely asks Shashi “French or Italian?” and is wholly supportive of their relationship. Once again, these relationships emphasize that it is personality, love, and emotional connection that triumph over language and cultural barriers.

In the end, Shashi doesn’t just learn that she is strong enough to learn English, make friends, survive in America, and prove her family wrong. Shashi also learns to devalue the importance of language. Her daughter and husband were originally holding her inability to speak English over her head as a sign of inferiority and lack of status. However, by coming to New York, Shashi learns that one can still have a fulfilling life and satisfying friendships and relationships even despite differences in language. At the end of the movie, when Shashi asks for a Hindi newspaper on the plane back to India, she rejects the idea of English (and language in general) being an important status symbol, and in doing so finds true empowerment.