Sridevi‘s critically-acclaimed film English Vinglish is set to hit theatres in the Chinese mainland on February 24 to commemorate her fifth death anniversary. The 2012 film will debut on 6,000 screens in mainland China, according to distributor Eros International. After a 15-year absence, Sridevi made her film comeback in the Gauri Shinde-directed Hindi family comedy-drama, which went on to represent India's official submission for the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 2012 Academy Awards.
English Vinglish narrates the story of a quiet, sweet-tempered housewife Shashi Godbole, who endures small slights from her well-educated husband and daughter every day because of her inability to speak and understand English. Her attempt to learn the language helps her rediscover herself and reassert her value.
The story was inspired by Shinde’s mother who ran a business of spices. "Indian movies have steadily made headway in the cutthroat Chinese film industry, which is the second largest in the world. In China Mainland, there has been an increase in interest in Indian movies, particularly those with a strong cultural focus.” In a statement, Kumar Ahuja, COO of Eros International, said, "We are eager for the Chinese audience to be astounded by this masterpiece displaying one of the most unforgettable performances by the late Bollywood diva Sridevi.
The movie also features Adil Hussain, Sumeet Vyas, Priya Anand, Sulabha Deshpande and French actor Mehdi Nebbou.