“You only get one ‘first time’ for anything. That one time is a special experience. So enjoy it, and move forward decisively with confidence and without hesitation.”

【English Vinglish】

It has been a while since I watched an Indian film. Although it is an Indian film, there were few singing scenes, and it was just over two hours long. I had added it to my list of films I wanted to see a long time ago, but I hadn't been able to watch it and it had been sitting there. However, it turned out to be quite a hit (*^_^*)

The protagonist, Shashi, is a good wife who devotes herself to her husband while struggling with housework and raising two children. She is a good cook and is especially good at making laddoos (Indian sweets). However, her worry is that she is the only one in her family who cannot speak English. She feels depressed because she causes trouble for her daughter and is made fun of for not being able to speak English.

One day, the family is scheduled to go to NY to help with a relative's wedding, but due to various circumstances, only Shashi goes to NY a few weeks early. Shashi, who is anxious about going abroad alone without being able to speak English, encounters trouble after arriving in NY because she cannot speak the language. To break out of that situation, she secretly applies to an English conversation class she happens to see that promises, "Speak English in 4 weeks." Shashi meets classmates who have come to NY from various countries with different dreams and circumstances, and she works hard at her studies to improve her English.

However, while she is secretly attending the English conversation class, her son gets injured. Feeling the responsibility as a mother, she considers giving up on finishing the English class, but...

What I particularly focused on in this work is that the protagonist is a "housewife."
There are many works with themes like "women doing their best" or "women's spiritual independence." I feel like there are many in romantic comedies, too. And I feel like most of them are single women, or even if they are married, they are career women. For that reason, the feeling of a housewife in this work doing her best and becoming spiritually independent while enjoying herself was very fresh. Even if you are busy with child-rearing, housework, and housewife duties, having your own time is very important for both yourself and your family (^^)

There were other wonderful words, so I will write them down below ↓↓↓

Why are you happy?
Because every day is busy.
(Lyrics)

The best person to help you
is yourself.

When people start to dislike themselves,
they start to dislike everything around them,
and seek something new.
But if you learn to love yourself,
your old life will look fresh again,
and become something wonderful.

If you want a movie that makes you feel "India" like English Vinglish, here is another one ↓↓↓

This film won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2009 and won in a total of 8 categories. Although it was produced in the UK, it is set in India. The TV show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" was hosted by Monta Mino in Japan. This program was originally a popular British show and is broadcast in various countries besides Japan. This film depicts the harsh life of a young man from a slum who ends up participating in "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" in India.

Jamal, a young man who grew up in the slums of Mumbai, was thought by everyone around him to have no chance of answering the quiz questions correctly. However, he reaches the final question, but is arrested on suspicion of cheating. During the interrogation, Jamal begins to talk about when and where he learned the answer to each question. He gained the answers to each question during his harsh life in the slums. As for the structure of the film, the flashbacks of Jamal's past form the main body of the movie.

Since it's set in a slum, there are some developments that might make you want to cover your eyes.
Jamal's older brother... but the ending was saved by a fun, Indian-movie-style song scene (^o^)

<A quick note>

What is the most famous movie set in India? I think it might be '3 Idiots.' There are many other charming films as well! If you have any recommendations, please let me know (*´ω｀*) I'm prepared for them to be long (lol)!!!