Looking at the number of reviews pouring in from all quarters, I felt it was high time I rode the wave too! For the first time I read such Excellently written reviews on a Movie! It only presented a challenge to me to write a review in my own style and gauge the response!
/*Story */
Needless to mention, everyone must have understood the story by now, so let me just zip thru the details and come to the point! Swades is about Shahrukh, who works in NASA and returns to India to meet Kaveriamma (I didn’t really understand the relationship), and take her along with him to USA. He realizes she has left the Old Age Home and moved to a village called Charanpur. On reaching there he realizes she is taking care of Gayatri Joshi and her younger brother and would not come unless both are settled. He sets out to solve their problems. He goes to nearby villages and persuades villagers to send their children to school, while his grandma finds a groom for Gayatri. The boy turns out to be a little orthodox and Shahrukh is overjoyed watching Gayatri reject him outright! He brings about change in the people’s thoughts and belief about caste discrimination through a song at night.
The twist in the tale takes place when his grandma tells him to collect money from a person who had rented Gayatri’s land. His journey takes him through buses, crowded trains and even a boat. Shahrukh meets the person, only to hear his sorry tale of poverty and hunger. Hands him over some money and returns back home with a Heavy Heart. Unable to digest what he just saw, he decides to bring about some kind of Change.
He takes the initiative to bring electricity to the village using turbine technology. Designs and implements the technology successfully. People are overjoyed. Shahrukh leaves for NASA, since his Grandma wouldn’t want to leave the village and Gayatri, his love, wouldn’t want to leave the school. Implements the project at NASA, and returns back to the village for good.
/* End of Story */
I know. I know I didn’t zip through the story but its no use skipping important events in the plot. So, all those who have stayed on till here, don’t worry, the review starts NOW!
Almost everyone at MS has given Swades 4 or 5 stars and painted a rosy picture, while there’s the odd one who has thrashed it for not having any masala. Here’s my take on it.
In a year where the mantra for success has changed from Story/Dialogues/Direction to Smooches/Cleavage/Gyration, where the No.1 hit is a movie like Murder, Swades definitely deserves an award for being the Cleanest Family Film of the Year. 1 Star for that!
In a year where quality has given way to escapist, exploitative, and often meaningless cinema, Swades comes as a Silver lining in the Cloud, reminding us that Bollywood isn’t going to the dogs just as yet!! Movies like Lakshya, Ab Tak 56 and now Swades are examples of “Solid” film-making, where the compromises made to cater to the masses is bare minimum. 1 Star for that!
In a year where originality gave way to Copy-catism, sometimes from Hollywood (Murder, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Dhoom, Phir Milenge), Bollywood itself (Veer-Zaara), even Kollywood (Tamil Cinema), Swades and the above mentioned films have saved the industry from blushes.
Swades has a simple story that doesn’t dive into any subplots. Not too many surprises in store for the audience. Infact, the climax when Shahrukh decides to return to India for good didn’t seem so convincing. What made him return? His love, his conscience? One thing I liked though is the way Shahrukh’s character has been developed. He could have just remained in India and said No to NASA. But he realizes he’s a part of a project, finishes it and only then leaves NASA. Good Work ethics you see.
The secret lies in Govarikar’s screenplay, which in one word is BRILLIANT. Rarely do you see movies in which songs blend so seamlessly with the screenplay. Agreed that the second half does contain some extended conversations between Shahrukh and the villagers, but I guess chopping those portions off would have done more harm than good to the story. One must however note that the whole sequence related to turning on the turbine and producing electricity stretches un-necessarily and bothers the patience of the audience. 1 Star for that!
Technically the film is Very Good. I read many reviews stating that the Cinematography is Ordinary/Dull/OK. Take it from me, its Too Good!! If you look at the Genre this film falls into, you will realize how well Govarikar has adapted his Style to make sure the presentation doesn’t get Visually Heavy or Jazzy.
The Music/Background Score is Superb, simply because it forms an Integral part of the Screenplay and every song sounds apt for the situation. A. R. Rahman may have recycled one tune but that doesn’t stop me from singing praises for the rest that have Excellent Melody and Rhythm. Again, full marks to Govarikar for the wonderful screenplay.
Lyrics by Javed Akhtar are Extraordinarily good. I don’t have words to describe how meaningful they are and how beautifully they’ve been written.
The editing by Ballu Saluja is what ALL critics, whether indiafm, rediff, or MS have pounced on, and torn apart to shreds. Agreed that the electricity producing sequences could have been trimmed, but I found no serious problem to tear him apart.
The direction by Govarikar is Excellent. There are plenty of beautiful sequences that remain in memory, like the Wonderful Picturisation of ‘Yeh Taara’, the sequence when Shahrukh meets Gayatri for the first time in school, and many more. The NASA Sequences during climax are well shot too. And remember, this is NO Lagaan where the tempo could have been maintained at high pitch. It’s a completely different genre that deserves the treatment it has rightly got from Ashutosh.
Coming to the performances:
Shahrukh, as Mohan Bhargava restricts his stammering, and usual emotions to give a controlled performance. But this one can NO WAY be termed as his best. His strength is his energy that radiates on the screen as it did in Kal Ho Na Ho.
Gayatri Joshi as all of you mentioned looks Incredibly Pretty and Slim, and in some ways, acts like Madhuri Dixit! Full marks to her for a promising debut!
Kishori Balal, as Kaveriamma looks just like my Grandma and gives a heartfelt performance. Her face is so calming. Wow!
Other supporting cast perform well too….
All in all, Swades is a Different Movie, that deserves to be seen and, if not appreciated, atleast lauded for the approach and the message the film-maker has tried to convey.