It's possibly the biggest comeback in recent years. One of the Queens of Indian Cinema, Sridevi made her way to the Bollywood silver screen after 14 years, and Tamil Cinema after 26 years. And it was good.
Some of the reviews for her performance in Gauri Shinde's directorial debut English Vinglish included 'Sri's performance is a masterclass for actors...' (Times of India), 'If you're a Sridevi fan, you can't miss it. If you aren't, you still can't miss it' (DNA), 'Sri excels in fleshing out her character' (Rediff), 'Sridevi makes the contemporary actresses, even the coolest ones look like jokes...' (IANS), 'Sridevi delivers a performance that is nothing short of perfect' (CNN-IBN), 'Sridevi doesn't miss a beat. Her performance is a triumph' (Hindustan Times). A few more described it as 'Sridevi brings acting back in English Vinglish' (FirstPost). 'makes the best comeback in Bollywood history and delivers a landmark performance' (ETC) and many others like this.
Additionally, the film won laurels in many film festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival where Sri's performance got a standing ovation. She was even called the 'Meryl Streep of India.'
And yet, the actress has been grossly snubbed during awards season.
The award shows where she lost out include:
1. CNN-IBN Indian of the Year (Entertainment) - lost to Irrfan Khan for Paan Singh Tomar and Life of Pi, The Amazing Spider-man
2. BIG Star Most Entertaining Actor - lost to Priyanka Chopra for Barfi! and BIG Star Best Actor/Actress in a Social Film - lost to Paresh Rawal for OMG: Oh My God
3. Filmfare Award for Best Actress - lost to Vidya Balan for Kahaani [Critics Award was given to Richa Chadda for Gangs of Wasseypur]
4. Zee Cine Award for Best Actress - lost to Priyanka Chopra for Barfi! [Critics Award was given to Vidya Balan for Kahaani]
5. Colors Screen Award for Best Actress - lost to Vidya Balan for Kahaani
Additionally, she has been nominated in two categories at the Stardust Awards. And we are yet to see from other biggies like IIFA and Apsara.
So far, she has secured Hello Magazine Hall of Fame Outstanding Performance of the Year Award.
With a realistic and mesmerising performance like this, this is a great injustice to her work. Sridevi has been extremely gracious attending most of the awards and applauding the winners, but we think she deserves more.
Do you think it's fair or unfair?