Swades (2004)

English translation: Motherland (swades pronounced swa-desh)
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Story: M.G. Sathya
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi 
Music: A.R. Rahman
Time: 195 minutes
Bottom-line: If you hate India, this film has enough power to make you change your mind

    One of the few films of Shah Rukh Khan where his muscle body and sexiness do not play a role, Swades is a film that must be watched by all Indians. After Lagaan, Ashutosh Gowariker directs another film about India, only this time, the timeline is the 21st century. We see thousands of people leaving India for better job opportunities and what not. What happens when one such person decides to visit his motherland again?

Shah Rukh Khan as Mohan

Mohan Bhargava (SRK) is an NRI working for NASA. With the foundation of a major project ready, Mohan decides to visit India to meet his nanny, Kaveri Amma, with whom he has lost touch. In India, he meets a beautiful woman, Gita, (Gayatri Joshi) at his friend’s shop, and asks her the directions for Charanpur, the village where Kaveri Amma lives. He eventually reaches the village and meets Kaveri Amma, and also finds out that Gita is from the same village. In the village he meets lots of interesting people, and wins their admiration. He also gets to know about the problems faced by the villages in and around that area: caste discrimination, child marriage, debt traps etc. Deeply affected by these incidents, he decides to help the villagers, at least till he gets back to the US. What he does forms the rest of the film.

Gayatri Joshi as Gita

This film is not a classic, but will surely become one. Unlike Lagaan, this film failed at the box-office, and I am not surprised. Good films like these don’t run, because most of the Indian public wants SRK to sing some duets and show his six-packs! He plays a normal role and so people just skip this film. These films are meant to inspire this generation of teenagers and children, and it should definitely be watched by them. All the people who say that they will settle in US say that they will visit India every month or two, but they never do. Maybe job opportunities are better there, but that does not mean that you forget your motherland and treat it like junk! No matter where you are, you will never find the culture and tradition like that of India, nor will you find the hospitality of Indians.

Kishori Balal as Kaveri Amma, with SRK

The story is fast-paced, and this is accompanied by few bits of humour here and there. The film is funny in the beginning, and then becomes more serious as it delves into the social issues. The incidents are such that the mentality of Mohan gradually changes from being ignorant towards the problems to slowly deciding to solve them himself; the incidents are not in a way such that Mohan is like, “Who cares?” and the next minute he is like, “Time to save the country!!” The way in which his attitude changes is realistic. The film also portrays the condition of villages accurately. Many villagers are not educated enough: they fall into debt traps, they have very simple needs, they are not aware of how to make improve something; most of the time they just accept it as fate if something is damaged or if someone is sick. With such a pitiful condition, it is up to the so-called modern and educated Indians to stay in the country and strive for its development, instead of packing bags and leaving for some other country.

Many consider this film as SRK’s best performance, and I agree, though it probably comes second to his performance in Chak De! India. He has done excellently to display all emotions on his face, even expressions of nostalgia. Gayatri Joshi has also acted well, and the other actors who play the various characters in the village have also acted well.

The single shot that captures the thrill of the entire film.
One of the best stills ever seen In Hindi cinema, in my view. 

The music is superb. The song Yun Hi Chala Chal Rahi is perfect for singing whenever you are traveling, as it has a fast tempo and the lyrics are such. The song Yeh Jo Desh Hai Tera comes towards the end, and this shows how nostalgic Mohan is about India. The scenes shown during this song pretty much summarizes the entire trip he makes to India. Moreover, this song is heard on all national festivals, along with Vande Mataram and the national anthem.

To sum up, Ashutosh Gowariker’s Swades is almost as good as Lagaan, but slightly slow in some places. I appreciate the accurate portrayal of the poor condition of Indian villages, and the way in which the message of how an Indian should work for the development of his motherland is shown in a beautiful and moving way. The songs and their lyrics are superb. Shah Rukh Khan has also acted brilliantly, as has Gayatri Joshi. This film is bound to make you love your country despite its many faults, and it is also inspiring enough to make you help other fellow Indians to live a better life, instead of making their own life better.

My Rating: 4.5/5