It’s October 4, 2012. A nervous Gauri Shinde waits in a movie theatre in Goregaon, Mumbai, after the Indian premiere of her directorial debut, English Vinglish. It is a huge affair, with tons of stars and industry stalwarts in attendance for the late actor Sridevi Kapoor’s “comeback.” As the lights come on afterwards, the celebrity audience is exuberant. They are blown away by the film.
Through all the mayhem and congratulatory hugs afterwards, Gauri looks for her parents. It’s getting late and she is concerned about them. Finally, they appear in the crowd. The moment is overwhelming. Her mother, unable to express herself in the crush of people, goes home. Only later, after the initial excitement of the release died down, Vaishali Shinde put her hand on Gauri’s hand. With tears in her eyes, she said in Marathi, ‘Maalaa kiti chaan vatla’ (‘this was meant for me’), referring to the film’s dedication. It was meant for Vaishali. That’s when Gauri knew her mother loved her film.
Every once in a while, a movie comes along that entertains, uplifts the spirit and illuminates an aspect of the complexity of the human condition. So it was with English Vinglish, the drama written and directed by Gauri Shinde. It turned into an unexpected blockbuster and created a buzz around the newcomer. Suddenly, this debutant director, not yet 40 years old, was the toast of filmdom.
Source: Women In The World
