With a woman-centric story and beautiful characterisation, English Vinglish ? a slice-of-life movie ? appears to be tailor-made for Sridevi?s comeback.
Director Gauri Shinde and producer R Balki, however, said it was accidental. ?While Gauri was writing the script, I happened to meet Boney (Kapoor) and Sri. When I was casually telling them about the movie?s core idea, I could see a glimmer in her eyes. That night when I went home, I told Gauri that her film will be made,? said Balki at the film?s Screen Preview on Wednesday.
Balki?s instincts proved true when Sridevi promptly took up the offer the very next day. For the 49-year-old actor, who took a break from films 15 years ago, English Vinglish offered a character that she could conveniently slip into. The film is about a middle-aged Indian housewife, Sashi, whose complex about her weak English makes her take up classes. ?I just grabbed the offer; I loved the script and could instantly connect to it as a mother and a woman,? said Sridevi.
Similarly, for Shinde it couldn?t have been better. Not only did she need a big name, but also someone who could strike a fine balance between great acting and stardom.
?I have always seen Sridevi as a performer ? not just the glamorous diva, but a star who could become the character when required — in this film too you will see Sashi and not Sridevi,? she said. But will that disappoint fans who go looking for the Sridevi they knew?
?That doesn?t happen when you have an exceptional performer. I have seen Amitabh Bachchan do that before and now Sridevi; they can undo all the starry expectations a fan carries to a movie, and make them root for the character instead,? explained Balki.
Talking about the finer nuances of the film, Shinde says she drew mostly from what she was familiar with. While she sketched Sashi?s character on her mother, who was educated in a Marathi medium school and whom Shinde had seen facing similar problems, she was careful to not overdo it.
?I didn?t want it to be excessively Maharashtrian ? that sort of portrayal, which is well practised in Bollywood, sometimes makes it superficial and hard to connect,? she said. Sridevi might be in the thick of the film?s promotion right now, but for the last 15 years she almost shunned the limelight for domesticity and motherhood.
But there were other interests which kept her busy. ?I love shopping and travelling, which I did a lot of in these 15 years,? she said.
As for her daughters, English Vinglish is the first film of their mother?s they have seen. ?Now, they tell me, ?Mama, today you are behaving like Sashi?.?
For detailed coverage, read our Screen issue dated October 12