Up until now, all Sridevi fans the world over have waited with bated breath for the Bollywood diva to grace the screen once again. August 13th saw the release of the theatrical trailer of her upcoming film English Vinglish, which is also set to appear at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.

From the makers of Paa and Cheeni Kum comes English Vinglish which tells the story of a woman who does not know English and is made to feel insecure by her family and society at large. The film is a light -hearted yet touching and transformational journey of Shashi. Circumstances make her determined to overcome this insecurity, master the language, teach the world a lesson on the way to becoming a self assured and confident woman. The film is shot mostly in New York and captures the inherent struggle of many people all over the world with the English Language. Hilarious, touching, sensitive, this film marks the come back of India’s biggest female star…Sridevi.

Theatrical Trailer for English Vinglish

I wrote about my excitement about English Vinglish and its presence at TIFF 2012 a few weeks ago (this previous post includes a look back at Sridevi’s body of work for the uninitiated). That excitement just grew when the theatrical trailer released. Sridevi may have been away from the screen for 15 years – but when you watch the trailer, it seems as if she never left. I can only imagine how I, as well as all the other Sridevi fans may feel when we see the entire film. Sridevi has this brilliant way of striking the right balance between comedy and hard hitting emotion. You can laugh with her and sympathize with her at the same time in each frame of her performance. The trailer is clearly just a sneak peek into the film – but anyone familiar with Sridevi’s body of work will know that she is a powerhouse performer – known for her comedy.

Director Gauri Shinde and Sridevi speak about the film at the Trailer launch for English Vinglish

The only other time I felt this confident about an actress returning after a long break was when Madhuri Dixit came back with Aaja Nachle in 2007. Yet, despite the success or failure of a film, one this is for sure, just like Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi is here to stay.

It will be exciting to see what film she signs after English Vinglish. I wait with eagerness.