I finally made it to the cinemas this evening after having been holed up indoors on account of yet another bandh (didn't bother figuring out the reason this time - someone told me it was because Arnab Goswami asked Sachin Tendulkar all the wrong questions in yesterday's interview - which was probably not true).
It was an evening well spent. Barring, of course, the first ten minutes of the show where I patiently waited for a fellow member in the audience to finish telling his bank manager to open a new FD account or something.
English Vinglish marks Sridevi's comeback, who blends so effortlessly into her role you hardly feel she was gone all this while. This, supported by an ensemble of fine actors, funny jokes you have not heard before, and very sharp direction - makes for a commendable film. The positivity aside, there are three key lessons I see we can learn from the film:
1. Don't be a grammar nazi:
Take it easy. The world functioned before English as a language came into being. It will do just as well with people who don't meet the benchmarks you have, ahem, set for them. We need expressions to thrive and communicate, not some Wren & Martin-on-demand. And if you still insist on going around the social network randomly asterisk-ing the universe's grammatical mistakes, do consider charging people for it. You will at least end up feeling a little important.
2. Do if you must what they think is absurd:
Life is too short. And worrying about what others think of your decisions is as passe as the previous sentence. Do what matters to you. That is your best shot at not being regretful about your life. There will always be people who will deter or mock you for your persistence. It doesn't matter. Chances are you won't run into them again. If you still do, chances are you are by then already in a position to have set an example for them. In either case, your critics and your patrons are nothing more than an audience. The stage is only yours.
3. Mothers are rockstars.
Respect your mother. Do what you may, but you will never be a patch on her. Learn from her sacrifices. Those sacrifices have a large role to play in what you have made of your life. Thank her as much as you can, for one lifetime is not enough to do so.
