Japanese bowled over by Sridevi’s English Vinglish (directed by Gauri Shinde). The movie has been well-received all over the world.
In the last few years, though several movies have been released in Japan, it was only the Aamir Khan starrer ‘3 Idiots’ that had received a warm welcome in Japanese. But I guess that was more to do with the theme of the movie that appealed to a lot of people worldwide.
And now the same is happening to Sridevi’s ‘English Vinglish’ (directed by Gauri Shinde). The movie has had a dream run in Japan since its release.
Although the movie was screened in a select cities & screens initially, following the all-round appreciation for the movie from the local audience, the movie was released in many more screens and cities in Japan.
About the movie
Housewife and caterer Shashi (played by Sridevi) is usually mocked by her family for not knowing English. Her attempt to learn the language helps her rediscover herself and reassert her value as a mother and as a wife.
WATCH: English Vinglish trailer
Sridevi was obviously overwhelmed with the Japanese response to her movie and said , “I’m overwhelmed with all the praise the film continues to receive worldwide. A big thank you to Gauri Shinde once again for making such a beautiful movie.”
WATCH: Sridevi and her daughters jhanvi & khushi don the kimono (Japanese traditional garment)
The grand premiere of English Vinglish was held in Tokyo on May 27 this year and was attended by Sridevi along with First Lady of Japan, Akie Abe and famous Japanese singer, Agnes Chan. Last year (August 2013 ), director Shinde was invited to attend the prestigious Aichi International Women’s Film Festival for the film’s screening. And that’s when the buzz about the movie really started, and has only grown strong since then.
English Vinglish has earned close to half a million US dollars in Japan, and the movie continues to run successfully in several theatres in Japan. Released in Japan by Eros International, the film has done very well in other Asian countries as well, such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea, besides doing well in Germany.
