Review of Swades - We, the people

Rarely does Bollywood churn out a movie that makes you feel good while you are filing out of the cinema hall. Good… about yourself… about your country… and about cinema in general. Swades is one such movie. It does not grip you, it does not wow you, it does not thrill your senses. It just grows on you and leaves you feeling touched in some way or the other.

Swades is all about re-discovering idealism in an era that frowns upon idealists. It is about a return to one’s roots. And more importantly, it is about shedding the yoke of cynicism and apathy. As if that isn’t enough… Swades is also about what good cinema should be.

Shah Rukh Khan delivers one of his better performances as he underplays the character of Mohan Bhargava to perfection. Be it Mohan’s mental turmoil at being disconnected from his roots… or his dilemma of being torn between a better life for himself and a better life for the villagers of Charanpur… or his anguish on seeing a kid selling water for 25 paise by the trackside… you cannot help but admire Shah Rukh Khan in this movie.

You wouldn’t know that it was Gayatri Joshi’s first movie if you see her act in Swades. She comes across as a natural actress as she plays Geeta, an idealistic school-teacher, with such elegance and poise that I’m almost afraid she might get typecast as a ‘teacher’!! This former Shivaji Park girl is probably the best debutant of the year. That she looks stunning is just icing on the cake!

But Swades is not about its actors. If in Lagaan, Aamir Khan was the hero, in Swades, the movie itself is the hero. Its a movie that speaks to its audience. It does not preach to any one set of people. It shows contemporary India for what it is and lets each one of us introspect on why it is the way it is. I, for one, find it alarming to note this movie tackles issues that should ideally have been relevant half a century ago at the time of independence… and not now! Yet… they are relevant now as they were 50 years back! And we, the people, should take the blame for that. Or better still… I, the individual should be the first to take the blame. Unless that happens, we might witness another Swades 50 years from now and it would still be about someone trying to ‘light a bulb’!!

The film itself is brilliantly made. The essential Ashutosh Gowariker touch is there. There is a common theme that runs through both, Swades and Lagaan. Watch the movie to know what it is. I lack the technical knowledge to judge such a superior cinematic product. It’s length has been reported to be one of it’s possible minus points. But at least I did not feel it one bit! Watched ‘Seven Samurai’ or ‘Gone With the Wind’? Did these movies suffer because of the length? The point is… good movies don’t feel long!!

If you’re a cynic, you’d better stay at home. But if you’ve got an optimistic bone in your body, go right ahead and enjoy this fine example of ‘Cinema Paradiso’!!

And ohh… trade pundits can take a hike!! … preferably to the nearest theatre showing such movies as ‘Musafir’ or ‘Ab Bas!’.