I’d seen the promos, hummed the music and marvelled at the simplistic eye-catching design of the posters, but nothing .......nothing had prepared me enough for the barrage of emotions that run through you while watching Swades.
I must warn, however (like so many others have), that Swades is not your typical ’entertainer’. So if you’re expecting another Lagaan, you’re likely to be disappointed.
In a nutshell, the film deals with a simple subject - Reverse Brain Drain.
The protagonist, Mohan Bhargava, is what you’d expect from the typical NRI yuppie - holding his bottle of mineral water close no matter where he went, preferring to sleep in his comfortable caravan than the humble ’charpai’, and blaming the government for everything that was wrong with the system!
But he’s also one of those rare gems in the dust who crossed the chasm of hopelessness to bring hope to those who had lost it, beat the challenges that came in his way, emerged a winner and yes, even gave up his bottle of mineral water somewhere along the way...
It is this journey of his that forms the crux of Swades!
The subject is handled brilliantly, the actors are flawless, the songs are melodious, the background score is soothing and the cinematography is mindblowing ~ I got goosebumps in the scene where Mohan is standing next to a lifesize globe at NASA, looking longingly at India.
I don’t want to delve into the details. I think words would fall short to express the experience of Swades. I’d just like to salute Ashutosh Gowarikar’s filmmaking ability and Shah Rukh Khan’s sheer talent for this gift of a film.
An NRI friend, well-settled in the US, came to visit India after 3 years.
I asked him when he was going back, and he cringed. ’’I’ve just come. Don’t remind me I have to go back.’’
A bit surprised, I asked him, ’’How’d you manage to stay there for so long if you love it here so much?’’
’’Because I HAD to. But it really hurt when someone was coming back to India, and I couldn’t’’
I think, Mr Gowarikar, that if 20 out of the millions of Indians settled abroad who HAVE TO stay there, actually return to their homeland to make a difference after watching Swades, the film would be your gift to our ’mahaan’ nation.
Like one particular village simpleton in the film put it, ’’Apni chaukhat ka diya, why giving light to neighbour’s housh!??’’
(Do comment on my review. Would love to know your thoughts!)