(I don’t intend to be a film critic here trying to evaluate the direction, script and cast in depth since many of my fellow Mouthshut members have already done that and it would be redundant. I will just make a few broad observations and comment on the handling of the film with respect to the subject and SRK)
India is a land of fertile minds. But the lure of a better life have made the so called ’brainy’ population head towards the ’West’ and make it their preferred home. No wonder they are called NRIs or ’Never returning Indians’! Swades is a story of one such NRI who is torn between the dilemma of pursuing his high profile job in US and heeding to the call of his motherland. Call it ?reverse brain drain? or ?brain gain? if you like.
The subject is so apt in present times when every second ’intellectual’ wants to work abroad. I have absolutely no complaints regarding the ones who are working there. It?s their choice and I respect that. After all, the political, social, legal and economic machinery in India has failed miserably in upholding their meritorious qualifications and skills or at the very least provide a decent standard of living to the tax-paying junta. (The beneficiaries being the entire populace) Should then the ?NRI?s turn into ?RI?s and serve his fellow country men is a contentious and subjective issue. But what the story of ?Swades? unfolds is something that every Indian in India and outside should be made aware of.
A true Indian’s heart will definitely wrench after watching the reality existing in rural India (except maybe Taran Adarsh’s) and that’s just one village in question out of the innumerable villages across the country. 70% of Indians live there in absolutely inhuman conditions stripped of the basic rights of food, education, electricity etc. A harsh reality to which we urban dwellers are oblivious of. The disparity between the Indian cities, leave alone the cities in the developed countries, and the rural areas is as unfathomably deep as a bottomless pit.
It’s film with a subject very few film-makers have touched upon and the director should be applauded for the choosing such a theme for a film. The noble and honest efforts put in by the entire team of ?Swades? shows onscreen. Some shades in the film are reminiscent of Lagaan mainly because of the rural backdrop. But that doesn?t seem like a deliberate ploy of recreating a hit like ?Lagaan? at all. Many have criticized the pace of the film calling it an ?art film? and a ?doordarshan documentary?.
I don?t know where that comes from. It seems that people have got so used to the low-on-substance, popcorn flicks that are churned day in and day out that their tolerance level for meaningful cinema has taken a beating or did it ever exist at all? Why would a film like ?Meenaxi? bite the dust otherwise? According to me ?Swades? is an entertaining film with some light humor, nothing over the top despite dealing with a grave topic. But it seems only those films work which has an overdose of ?loud humor? and lots of ?masala? with some item numbers thrown in to provide cheap titillation. Why do you think a film like ?Musafir? be a runaway hit? ?Swades? is a simple yet well-made film which doesn?t demand a lot of IQ from the audience and is not confined only to the ?Satyajit Ray? or ?Shyam Benegal? fans.
Lastly, a word about the protagonist of the film, Shahrukh Khan. Here is an actor who has come of age and performing to his caliber. He has always been my favorite despite of his needless antics in certain films (some blinkered directors concerned with only the cash registers are to be blamed here along with him for accepting films just for the sake of friendship).
He exudes confidence and energy in every film as he does in Swades too. But there is something heartfelt about this performance. A well-restrained, subtle and matured performance is what I expected from a seasoned but often underutilized actor like SRK and he has indeed delivered the goods. With ?Swades?, he might have just washed away the blemishes of his past career pitfalls. He has played the NRI God knows how many times before this. But this NRI is different and the best from the other NRIs he has played before.
Come to think of it, he has worked in ’Swades’ as well as ’Pardes’! If ?Swades? would have happened to SRK much earlier in his career who knows he would have given Mr. Bacchan a run for his money and a serious threat to his superstardom.