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Gauri Shinde on English Vinglish, Sridevi, Big B & Ajith Kumar: ‘Of course, I want to work with Janhvi Kapoor’
'Ajith was very gracious. Him agreeing to do the cameo had a lot to do with Sridevi Ma’am,' says Gauri Shinde
In 2012, Gauri Shinde made her debut as a director with the Sridevi fronted, English Vinglish. The film proved to be a pleasant surprise by winning over the audience and critics alike and is today remembered to be the film that brought Sridevi back to showbiz. Four years after English Vinglish, Shinde presented the audience with another heartwarming tale in the form of Dear Zindagi with Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan. As she completes 10 years as a director, Gauri goes down memory lane and terms her first meeting with the legendary Sridevi a blind date. “It was sheer luck to meet her,” she recalls.
Gauri is quick to add, “At the end of the narration, I remember her first response – I don’t know about you, but I would like to do this film.” English Vinglish alongside Kahani is credited to start the movement of women-led films in Bollywood. Gauri of course is proud to know this. “This venture faced a lot of difficulty to take off. It was a simple story about a woman in a saree, which nobody thought had appeal for the audience. We didn’t intend to start any movement, but looking back, I am grateful,” she admits.
But what exactly were the difficulties she faced? “People liked what they read but said, no thanks. I understood their point of view, but was keen to make it the way it was meant to be made,” she replies. English Vinglish released in Hindi and Tamil with cameos by Amitabh Bachchan and Ajith Kumar respectively. “Having Amit Ji and Sridevi in the same film was like an Oh My God movement for me. Who wouldn’t jump on an idea like this? Amit Ji was gracious to do this for my film, and all the credit goes to Balki.”
She is grateful to Ajith Kumar as well. “We didn’t know of Tamil Version before, but once we decided on it, we wanted someone from the Tamil Film Industry to do the came. Ajith was very gracious. Him agreeing to do the cameo had a lot to do with Sridevi Ma’am. To think about it, it’s all so surreal to have worked with these people.” Since the release of Dear Zindagi, Gauri has stayed away from the direction, though she is flooded with offers from studios. “My only thing is to make films that genuinely excite me. I want to make films that make difference not just to the audience, but also to me. I can only make films with honesty and then hope that they stand out. I am not very tempted by offers, but I need a strong reason to start a film.”
She admits that she is working on a script. “Even I want to make a film now as enough time has passed by. It should happen soon,” she smiles. There have been enough chatters about Gauri teaming up with Sridevi’s daughter, Janhvi Kapoor for a film. After Sridevi, would she now want to direct Janhvi in a film? She signs off, “We talk about films because we know each other. She has been a little baby, a tiny tot for me. I am very close to her, we do discuss films and of course, I want to work with her. We meet as friends as well. So yeah, to answer your question, I would really like to work with Janhvi.”
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