'English Vinglish'

Sridevi's comeback in 'English Vinglish' is as graceful as the movie in itself. The star looks and feels completely at ease with her role and performs without much ado, while carrying the entire weight of this simple classic on her shoulders.

Bollywood is a common metaphor for 'stardom' and translates into '100 crores' in filmi grammar. Whereas Sridevi is the unique voice from the crowd of stars who speaks a successful acting/actor's language quite her own, making 'English Vinglish' the movie that it was meant to be-a value addition in the list of masters of the film craft.

As a mother with a quivering pulse for English, her vulnerability in dealing with an unknown language in an unknown country creates an anxious block for her to break in the first half of the movie. Finding her own voice and rising to the occasion in her finale speech wins the much needed respect and appreciation from her family and her new found friends from the English speaking class.

This movie is a sure standout for the peoples theme in its choosing, for the common locales of character picturisation, for making a star the girl next door and for a heart warming tale of a woman who chooses to reassert herself breaking all language barriers.  

Shades of 'Grey'

'Grey's Anatomy'-the title justifies the show: a show of bodies and their complications, basic instincts and anatomy of several lively emotions and a shade of grey in an everyday intern's life.
The Chief of Surgery, the Resident, the Cardiothroraic surgeon, Neuro surgeon etc are heroes of a 'non clinical' medical drama series. They operate on victims or cases with their acting finesse, while the interns vie to scrub in with their finishing touches. The human life as a medical novice and as a student gets told through different cases and even if their personal lives kept away from medical emergencies, there are no skeletons in their closet-none that can be kept closed for far too long.

There are enough body complications that become themes of their own and high voltage emotional entanglements within the closely operating team that cannot be defined within the (Seattle Grace) hospital limits. Divorce, extramarital affair, live in and live without are certain patterns that recur in their relationships though.

Close to life and unimaginably creative, this anatomy does manage to keep the audience's interest alive.


  

The 'Karva Chauth' connect

'Karva Chauth' is a Hindi version of karadaya nombu from the South. It is performed by the wife for her husband's health longevity and prosperity-a day long fasting diligently followed by the wife, chanting prayers and reading mythological/epic stories that witness the triumph of good over evil, of life over death, and faith over practicality.

The transition of the 'husband' figure from an everyday presence to elevated heights of love and hero worship is quite bollywood inspired, which is an Indian culture by itself. The 'nombu' or 'vrath' is a day of full on high loyalty as the sacred yellow thread around the wife's neck is a miniature thaali for the married and a prayer of protection for the brother from his married/unmarried sister.
 The moon is the source of ethereal connect that once when witnessed is a sign for the woman to seek blessings from her husband and break her fast.
And hence the feasting begins as another year of Karva Chauth time comes to an end.

The results of a marriage are in the everyday-there are good days, there are boring days and there are cold war days and patch up days in between like the phases of the moon. We women need days like these to embrace the light within us and shine on come rain or shine.