Reflections on English Vinglish

Bianca Quintanilla

May 3, 2015

More than a Ladoo Maker

     While watching English Vinglish, I was struck by the shots of Shashi’s elegant, feminine hands molding each ladoo. The shots of Shashi’s hands serve as a placeholder for Shashi’s self- esteem. The interactions surrounding the first shot of Shashi molding ladoos portray her hurt feelings resulting from her family’s jabs at her inferior English. The interactions surrounding the last shot of her cooking ladoos, however, marks the growth of her self-esteem as she learns English. Thus, English Vinglish suggests that increasing one’s sense of self-worth can come from mastering a skill, such as speaking another language, that is not gendered and valuable for anyone to possess.

     At the beginning of the movie, Shashi makes ladoos, and the early placement of this scene establishes the significance of this particular dish. In this shot, the camera zooms in on her elegant hands packing the ladoo into a perfect sphere.  The sunlight, gently-rising steam, and bright colors create a beautiful shot that portray Shashi, by American standards at least, as the perfect housewife. Shashi’s pretty sari and delicious-looking ladoos prompt an American audience to interpret Shashi as a conservative, stay-at-home mother.

    After the ladoo-cooking scene, Shashi eats breakfast with her family, and these interactions show how her family does not respect her. Even though Shashi clearly has a talent for cooking, she does not speak English well, of which her husband and daughter constantly remind her. Although Satshi, praises his wife’s cooking, he suggests that that she has value as a female, not as a human being, when he exclaims, “You were born to make ladoos!”

 consequently diminishing her self-worth. As Shashi tell her Laurent, her admirer, “ When a woman cooks, it is her duty, when a man cooks, it is art.” Thus, she acknowledges that her cooking, as a female activity, is of comparatively less value than a man’s skill or talent.

     In her last cooking scene, Shashi makes ladoos for her sister’s wedding. The shot portrays her commitment to her family as well as her increased self-esteem. Just as the first scene, beginning the camera zooms in on her hands carefully packing the ladoo together. This image links the beginning and end of the movie, showing the pride she takes in her cooking. However, this shot differs from the first in that her face and form are shown more often. The increased emphasis on her entire form shows her growth in confidence and self-esteem that occurs as she learns English.

    Furthermore, the manifestation of Shashi’s increased self-confidence occurs at the wedding, the occasion for which she makes a large batch of ladoos. Shashi is asked to make a celebratory speech, but Satshi, evidently static character, interjects, apologizes for his wife’s poor English and prepares to deliver the speech himself. Shashi however, takes the opportunity to speak, and does so, haltingly but intelligibly. When she finishes, her English classmates celebrate her achievement, and she proceeds to serve ladoos to the guests.

      In summary, the shot of Shashi’s hands making ladoos at the beginning of the film shifts to an increased emphasis on her entire person when she cooks ladoos for the wedding at the end of the movie. The surrounding interactions also document her  shift from submissiveness to assertiveness that occurs as she learns English. Because Shashi gained confidence from speaking English, not cooking, the film suggests that exclusively female talents, however useful, such as cooking dinner for one’s family, is inferior to a skill that is also valuable for men, speaking English in this case.

Response to English Vinglish

            The first film by director Gauri Shinde, English Vinglish is a heartwarming movie that broaches themes of alienation, language, respect, and empowerment. In the film, Shashi runs her own laddoo business in India, but she is constantly being disrespected by both her husband and daughter. She settles into insecurity, but her mindset is jolted upon traveling to New York to stay with her sister for her niece’s wedding. Only then, in this new environment, is she able to learn more about herself and what she is capable of. Throughout the film, we come to see how her mental journey of empowerment and self-discovery was mirrored by her physical journey to the city.

Her flight foreshadowed and paralleled elements of her mental transformation. Miles above ground, she literally is afforded a new visual point of view, which she marvels at outside the window. Likewise, she is also shown a new point of view by Amitabh Bachchan’s unnamed character, who shows her how to assert herself both explicitly and by example. We see her marvel at his character and personality with the same facial expressions that she had when looking out the window of her plane. Additionally, the flight itself was a sensory transition between India and the Western world. In the background, the instrumental music is clearly Indian, but the airline itself is not, as we can note from the flight attendant and the almost nonexistent selection of on-board Hindi entertainment.

On her flight, she has the pleasure of sitting next to Bachchan’s character. During the flight, he is clearly at ease, unabashedly and unapologetically himself, a state we see Shashi move towards by the end of the movie. On repeated occasions, he tells her to “confidently, definitely, surely, absolutely shamelessly” pursue what she wants, acknowledging when she was thirsty or had trouble with her headphones. Previously, we had seen her forgoing her own wishes to serve her family. In an opening frame, we see her awake early, juxtaposed against only the feet of her husband Satish, indicating an imbalance in their relationship. She is soon interrupted by various family members asking her to bring them food, most notably Satish. However, by the end of the film, though her plan is foiled, we see her willing to forego some wedding preparations in order to pursue the certification for herself. Her plan is only scrapped because she was remaking the ladoos that symbolized her skills and pride. It appears by the end, she has internalized this message of caring for herself and her wants.

            Most notably on the flight, Bachchan animatedly begins to reenact an English movie in Hindi for Shashi. With great gusto, he unabashedly makes his presence known, ignoring the man who tried to silence him. At the end of the movie, we see Shashi doing the same. She takes the opportunity to speak at Meera’s wedding, even after being silenced by her embarrassed husband. She speaks confidently for a prolonged time, not shying away from strong statements about marriage and family.

            Finally, Shashi was introduced to the idea that she shouldn’t be scared of anyone else, since she herself was a force to be reckoned with. Bachchan displays this by telling the American airport desk worker that he has come to help jumpstart America’s economy, firmly asserting his own sense of his own value, while leaving the haughty American flabbergasted. Similarly, we see Shashi stand up to her husband at the end of the film and place herself in a position of power. With the same tone he orders her around in, he asks her what she is doing since the wedding is about to start. Then, she introduces him to her classmates, and we see him looking confused and out of the loop, something that previously occurred with the roles flipped.

            Throughout the movie, much of Shashi’s personal development is able to occur because the distance from her family allows her to distance herself from their demeaning comments and differently expand her horizons. Her flight, the physical manifestation of this change in point of view, serves to foreshadow the changes in how she saw herself, and what she observes on her journey across the Atlantic well matches her personal journey that follows. 

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.

The Familial Funnel

            English Vinglish beautifully captures the struggles of being an outsider. Shashi, in her struggle to be heard, must learn to speak the language of those with power. However, unlike the other protagonists we’ve seen, Shashi faces the harshest criticisms from her own immediate family. Radha, Lenny, and Vijay faced the harsh realities of the world directly as their families tried in vain to protect them. Shashi’s family, on the other hand, serves not as a shield from the judgment of society but instead as a perpetuator of the judgment from the outside. Thus English Vinglish can be seen as a commentary on familial complacency. When the injustices of the world affect all family members, as they do in Mother India for example, parents and children work as a team. However, Shashi’s story demonstrates how injustices that selectively affect only some members of a family create a microcosm that mirrors external oppression.

            Partition traumatized everyone, but unlike Shashi’s family, Lenny’s family attempted to shield her from talk of unrest. At the very beginning of the film, when Shanta mentioned that India might split, Lenny’s mother insisted that was nonsense. Throughout the film, Lenny’s family tried to maintain a sense of normality and happiness within the household. While often unsuccessful in protecting their child from witnessing the horrors of Partition, Lenny’s family aimed to shield their daughter from the trauma. Shashi’s family, on the other hand, constantly reminds her of her inferiority because of her inability to speak English. The other members of the family share a high status through their fluency in English, and as a result they alienate the one person in the family who society deems lesser. This family acts not as a shield but as a funnel, capturing the larger sentiment of the outside and channeling it home to their dutiful mother and wife.

            This familial funnel is a unique storytelling technique that offers powerful commentary on Indian society as a whole. Unlike traditional films, in which societal problems directly affect protagonists, Shashi receives a filtered version of society’s oppression through those who are supposed to love her most. Mother India offers the traditional commentary on external oppression through a moneylender who torments the entire family directly. Radha and her husband are united against this man, and the film offers social commentary by showing how external actors directly harm the protagonists. English Vinglish makes a powerful choice in limiting the amount of disrespect Shashi receives from Indians outside her family. Most of the contempt of her weak English comes from her daughter, who has been indoctrinated by those around her to be embarrassed. Her husband also offers little respect for Shashi, only complimenting her cooking and often making demands that force Shashi out of her comfort zone. Society does not directly torment Shashi, but she indirectly experiences the disrespect and oppression of the masses through her family. Thus English Vinglish offers social commentary by demonstrating that even when society shows ostensible respect, larger injustices still manage to find their way home through family.

            English Vinglish highlights the discrepancy between Indian society's claims to respect its mothers and an individual's actual treatment within her own family. The films we have watched thus far have presented an idealized version of the powerful matriarch that India claims to revere, and they seem to argue that society respects women. However, English Vinglish demonstrates that women often face the most oppression not from society as a whole, but from their own families. This film is thus a powerful commentary on the role of family and its ability to aggravate unfairness. When Shashi describes a family as "your small little world" inside this larger world, she drives home the effects of her familial microcosm, and the film ends encouraging us to look internally so that we avoid bringing daily injustice home to those we love.

Symbolism of Laddoos in English Vinglish by Devangi Vivrekar

Gauri Shinde's English Vinglish is a heartfelt film about a woman's journey to find self-worth in spite of a society that looks down upon her inability to speak English. The protagonist Shashi, played beautifully by Sridevi, ultimately finds her way past the humiliation and subjugation of being a "typical Indian housewife," and learns to love herself with a newfound confidence in her ability to learn English. I am struck by the recurring use and mention of laddoos in the movie. Not only do these sweets provide gustatory imagery and draw us into the film with their appeal to taste, but they also serve as a key component of the characterization and plot. Over the course of the film, the laddoos symbolize different aspects of Shashi's mindset, relationships, and personal development.

            From the opening scene, laddoos are established as an important representation of Shashi's happiness. As she goes from house to house delivering her hand-made, carefully packaged sweets, the shots consist of close-ups of the laddoos as well as of people's faces and the joy they experience while eating them. However, immediately afterwards, Shashi's unsuccessful attempts to share this joy with her husband Satish, as well as his disapproval of her business, introduces us clearly to the dynamics of their relationship. The laddoos take on the meaning of Shashi's independence and self-respect, which her husband clearly does not value. Later, on the first day of English class in New York, Shashi is applauded when she explains her "small business" of making and selling laddoos. The repetition of the word "entrepreneur" and the expression of excitement on Shashi's face framed by a close-up shot, casts the laddoos back in their role of representing Shashi's self-esteem, which is now raised by her supportive group of friends. In fact, the word "entrepreneur" literally re-brands Shashi and marks a new chapter in her character development – her phase of gradual liberation and growing confidence. She recognizes that the actions that are considered insignificant duties back home are valued differently by her new society. This idea is also emphasized in the powerful conversation between Shashi and Laurent as they discuss the role of gender in terms of culinary duty; Shashi ironically remarks that "When men cook, it is art. When women cook, it is responsibility." This establishes a clear parallel between the food and her role in society, and brings to light in an easy-to-understand way the differences between social obligations of women and men in the household. Laddoos also become a symbol of cultural exchange and the subtle and important relationship between Shashi and Laurent. For example, even when they both only know a few words of English, they are able to giggle together after calling a woman in the train "laddoo." Laurent also says that "food is love" – and the forbidden love that sneaks into Shashi and Laurent's relationship is enacted through an exchange of laddoos and crêpes, which Laurent calls "French laddoo."

            One striking laddoo scene in particular occurs during the climax of the film, just as Shashi is getting ready to sneak out to attend her last English class. As she drops the tray of carefully made laddoos onto the pavement, the reaction is one of classic melodrama. The shot of the fallen laddoos is followed by at least ten seconds of absolute silence, and then gasps and shocked faces. The slow, melancholic orchestral music that fades in as she gazes away from the camera, lost in self-reflection set the tone for a pivotal upcoming moment. Indeed, as Shashi goes against everyone's attempts to persuade her otherwise, and decides to remake all the sweets, she symbolically begins to reconstruct herself. The various concepts that the laddoos have symbolized throughout the film come together beautifully in this scene. For example, through Shashi's reasoning "why pass in another class while failing my favorite subject" we see laddoos as her true passion as well as her familial responsibility – at once her pleasure and her barrier on the path to complete freedom (finishing her English class). During the slow-motion shots of the broken laddoos being swept and discarded once and for all, the ground becomes a literal depiction of a clean slate. This represents Shashi's rejection of the conflicting identities that her family's presence in New York has brought up. As she begins to painstakingly make the new batch, the swaying white circular lanterns in the background mirror the shape of the circular laddoos, and are reminiscent of pendulums in the wind, adding grandeur and weight to an ordinary kitchen scene. Then, before returning to the shot of the kitchen, we see a quick frame consisting of a flower vase angled from below with sunlight streaming in the background. The yellow of the light and the subsequent yellow of the laddoos illustrates the magnitude of the transition from cold asphalt to warm oil – a foreshadowing of the similar personal transformation that Shashi is about to reveal to the world. In fact, the laddoos themselves are like tiny balls of sunshine, warm in Shashi's hands – a visual feast that contrasts with the next shot of the gray skyline and English classroom, hinting that Shashi has made the right choice. At this critical moment, Satish even offers to help Shashi shape the laddoos, but she sends him away with a shake of her head, which demonstrates her steely determination to rebuild her identity herself. As the groom Kevin's parents arrive, instead of asking about Shashi they mention her laddoos, establishing them even more firmly as her identity.

            Finally, Shashi delivers her triumphant speech – and immediately, we see again the laddoos stacked in a firm, stable pyramid. As she proudly serves all the guests, the laddoos become symbolic of her cemented confidence and self-worth, which she can now openly share with society. In a touching moment, the laddoos become a symbol of transformative love; tearful Laurent savors the last laddoo Shashi gives him, while her husband, who seems to finally show remorse at his actions and respect for his wife, gets two laddoos in his plate, which depicts Shashi's unwavering sense of loyalty and duty. The golden circles on Shashi's red sari also mirror the laddoos, and when she remarks to Satish that the sari was a "good choice," we learn that their bond is still strong. The lanterns in the background this time are also circular and golden, completing the harmonious and happy picture. The laddoos in the film illustrate through visual and sensory detail Shashi's journey of self-empowerment and her ultimate message that "Nobody can help you better than yourself."

English Vinglish - On a Quest for Respect

The movie English Vinglish, is as much about a middle-class family’s correlation of fluency in the English language as it is about self-esteem. Shashi Godbole is a caring mother, a devoted wife, a dutiful sister, and a doting aunt. However, some of her relationships are strained—a few people close to her seem to belittle her for her vulnerabilities, and are unable to look beyond them.

Watching English Vinglish, it is difficult not to get apologetic pangs as memories of times when I felt embarrassed by my parents come to mind. The film appropriately and succinctly captures the “growing pains” felt by several families, where kids grow up in a new age India—one characterized by economic growth and a liberal outlook, while parents and grandparents struggle to come to terms with the new ‘Starbucks’ culture, having typically grown up in joint families, often leading minimalist lives.

With that context, I wish to examine three of Sashi’s close relationships: Sashi’s teenage daughter, Sapna, is at an age where parents can do no right. Her husband, Satish, is practical, encouraging, but also a little hesitant about Sashi’s abilities. Very refreshingly, Sashi’s mother in-law is shown as an understanding, caring lady, quite a departure from the commonly portrayed acrimonious mother in-law.

The filmmaker designed the role of Sapna extremely thoughtfully, in my opinion. While Sapna clearly vents her frustration with her mother’s lack of English-speaking abilities, and chides her for offering her school teacher homemade chips, she isn’t shown as being a ‘problem-child.’ Sapna is a good student, with her teachers and parents of her friends complementing her alike. She genuinely asks her mother to forgive her for behaving badly. And she excitedly bids Shashi goodbye at the airport, telling her not to worry about the family. This subtlety in actually developing Sapna’s role allows the viewer to understand that the crux of the family’s problems are truly how the family members perceive Shashi in public. Watching Sapna give her mother a fond hug at the end of the movie was a fitting culmination of this journey for both women.

Shashi’s relationship with her husband, Satish, is similar to that with Sapna. Satish undeniably cares about Shashi, and is not demanding, overbearing or rude. He, pragmatically, suggests Shashi go to New York earlier to help her sister prepare for the upcoming wedding. However, the tension between the couple is explored brilliantly in a scene at the mall, where Shashi, tongue-in-cheek, teases Satish for comfortably hugging a lady from his office, but being too embarrassed to hug his own wife in public. This scene reminded me of one from Namaste London, where Rishi Kapoor’s wife tearfully tells him that simply by wearing western clothes (which she did under pressure to seem ‘modern’), she hasn’t lost her Indian origin.

Shashi’s mother in-law is the pressure valve of the family, Albeit only in a minor role, she appears in the scene after Sapna’s PTA meeting, gently reassuring Shashi that several mothers face such pressure while trying to maintain a connection with their teenage children.

Overall, English Vinglish is both an enjoyable and an informative film. I enjoyed watching it with my mother, and also with the class.

Didwania, Anshuman -- Deewar

            Deewar, which is most notable for having introduced the “angry young man”, Amitabh Bachchan to Indian cinema, is a very interesting follow-up to Mother India, as it compares numerous issues – not just the evolution/devolution of motherhood and its portrayal in Indian cinema, but also the elements of good versus bad through fraternal lenses. The narrative, which supposedly has roots in the realities of Bombay in the 1970s, is shot and depicted very vividly – Bombay comes alive on the big screen, as RD Burman’s score is a solid complement to the fast-paced action on the screen. The costume design appears to be very elaborate and well-thought of (including the reference to the 786 “billa”), and are integral to the development of the characters – the white saree representing the widowed mother, the double-breasted suits representing the prodigal but well-off son Vijay, the khakhi uniform representing the police officer Ravi, and the Western outfits representing the modern-day liberated woman, Anita. However, beyond the cinematography and direction, the key themes that stood out for me were:

·         Law and Order in the 70s in India

·         The Anchor of Motherhood in the Indian Household

Law and Order in the 70s in India

            The 1970s were a turbulent time for post-colonial India, as it was reeling through an emergency that imposed by Indira Gandhi. Additionally, India was not only battling post-colonial integration, but was also fighting wars with China and would soon wage one with Pakistan as well – the country was in major turmoil, and this was reflected in the national sentiment best channeled through the youth of the nation, and highlighted by the student protests and movements of the era (depicted in other Bollywood movies like Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. The frustrations with the lack of growth and progress, is seen in Vijay (and to a smaller extent Ravi) as they struggle to reconcile with the nepotism, corruption and lack of governance and transparency in the country, particularly as middle-class or lower-middle class members of the society. What is interesting to see is how both Vijay and Ravi take different paths to deal with this dilemma, the dichotomy of which keeps getting reflected in Indian cinema, but within different eras and different contexts.

The Anchor of Motherhood in the Indian Household

            While Mother India was the primary movie that propelled motherhood to on-screen relevance in Indian cinema, Deewar solidified the role of the mother as the anchor of the Indian household, where decision-making powers and true unwavering principles really rested. The mother continued to become, and even strengthened, as the symbol of resilience, of loyalty and of virtue (almost embodied by Plato’s Cardinal Virtues of fortitude, justice, temperance and wisdom). Sumitra Devi, as someone who bore the brunt of the estranged, shamed, failed nature of the household brought upon by weak husbands, does not shun her responsibilities like her other half, but perseveres. Eventually, she’s able to construct a stable household for her children, but even once she’s reached her goals of “giving a good life” to her children, she continues to play a major role in their lives as they grow up and start crafting lives for themselves. It becomes most evident when she condemns Vijay to a life of misery, and authorizes Ravi to follow the course of law and kill Vijay if needed – a precursor to this action coming true, as Vijay dies in her arms in the temple that he swore never to visit.