Since debuting as a child actor, at the age of four, Sridevi has become regarded as one of the greatest actresses of all time  in Indian cinema. She took on her first adult role (at the age of thirteen) in K.Balachander’s “Moondru Mudichu”, alongside Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth, and never looked back. Sridevi went on to act in numerous Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films and a handful of Malayalam and Kannada films.

In 1997, however, she made the decision to take a break from the film industry  and after fifteen years Sridevi is back with her highly anticipated film “English Vinglish”. Directed by debutante Gauri Shinde, “English Vinglish” tells the story of Shashi, a middle-class Indian wife and mother, who feels insecure because of her lack of knowledge of the English language.  After traveling to the United States to help her niece, her insecurity grows as she becomes determined to know the language that confines her.

“English Vinglish” also marks the Hindi debut of Priya Anand who says “I went from that little girl being obsessed with Sridevi to having her become my beloved ‘Shashi Mausi’. Thank You English Vinglish.” The film also stars French actor Mehdi Nebbou.

The film will be simultaneously released in Tamil and Telugu. Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan makes a special appearance in the Hindi version while Ajith Kumar makes a special appearance in the Tamil and Telugu versions. Music for the film, composed by Amit Trivedi, has been met with positive reviews – check it out here!

English Vinglish will premiere in Hindi at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 14^th and release worldwide on October 5^th.

What does Sridevi have to say about all the hype? “… I don’t think it is my comeback. I see this as my first film.”

-Image courtesy of TIFF.