FILM REVIEW: SWADES (2004)

Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Producer: Ashutosh Gowariker
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi, Kishori Ballal, Master Smit Seth, Daya Shankar Pandey, Rajesh Vivek, Smit Sheth, Lekh Tandon and Makrand Deshpande
Music: A R Rahman
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar

Radio Sargam Rating: 6.5/10

Background
Ashutosh Gowariker has found life too taxing after Lagaan which reached the final round of the Oscars. His earlier films Pehla Nasha and Baazi were not just bad films, but box office disasters as well. Gowariker now renews his old time association with co-star Shah Rukh Khan from the television series Circus shown on the Indian television network Doordarshan in 1989. Khan also had made a special appearance in Pehla Nasha.

Synopsis:
If Lagaan was a period film, Swades is set in contemporary India with the modern day patriotism taking over. The film is about Mohan Bhargava (Shah Rukh Khan) who works as a project manager with NASA.

Mohan is working on a rainfall monitoring project called Global Precipitation Measurement which can get accurate weather predictions and has finished the first phase of the project and is all set to start the second important one which will launch a satellite into space as well. That is when he misses his parents on their death anniversary. On impulse he returns like many Indians with a singular purpose - searching for lost strings. In Mohan’s case he wants to find his childhood nanny Kaveriamma (Kishori Ballal). She represents motherhood and is the only family for him. She is more than a nanny for him and he locates her at Charanpur. He also finds Gita (Gayatri Joshi) who is taking care of Kaveriamma and falls in love with her. Gita is a teacher in the village school which has been set up by her parents who are now no more. Kaveriamma is her only family apart from her younger brother.

So while Mohan wants to take Kaveriamma with him to America, Gita wants her to stay. And that’s where the trouble starts.From dealing with the American form of democracy… Mohan now deals with the Panchayat in the village, the sarpanch and the works. The caste system is prevalent and determines the social status as is still found in rustic India. And that is a big eyesore for him. He slowly gets involved into the activities of the village and works towards getting electricity for the village – like in the case of the recently released Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost.

Mela Ram (Dayashankar Pandey who played Goli in Lagaan), wants to start a chain of restaurants in America and wants Mohan to help him out. The local postmaster Nivaran (Rajesh Vivek who played Ghooran in Lagaan), prefers to do things the traditional way… but is a great help to Mohan. Mohan realises that the children of the village hold the key to the nation’s future and puts his scientific temperament after accommodating the societal complexities within the framework and coerces the village dwellers to partake in the betterment of their lives.

The old man of the village Dadaji (Lekh Tandon) before dying tells Mohan to continue the good work the way he has given electricity to the village. This could easily be the Lagaan hangover, which had the same thought process. But while Lagaan saw the triumph of human spirit, Swades talks about how technological advancement is much more important than just having a strong will with no direction. And now it is time for Mohan to return to finish his project. He does so. But can he come back to homeland or swades? Clue: When SRK came back to India in Pardes, can he do so in Swades as well?

Critique:
While Lagaan had taken digs at the British and had shades of jingoism through the medium of comedy, Swades does not endeavour to hoof on an identical path.

Swades is sagacious and stimulating cinema about an erudite Indian who like many others goes abroad in search of greener grass and greenbacks but is then made aware of his identity and roots and stays backs.

The film has a smidgen of Manoj Kumar’s Purab Aur Paschim which dealt with a similar issue when the brain drain was prevalent in India and many were lured by western living. However unlike what Mr Bharat aka Manoj Kumar did, Swades has been shot more in India and gives more about our country to the people of the world.

Swades undertakes to resolve apprehensions of the rural Indian. It is a verity that India lives in the villages and hence Swades is set in a colourful and assorted milieu.

The first half of the film drags though. The screenplay does not move very briskly at times and hence it becomes tedious. Sorry for the comparison, but Lagaan moved fast. There was a lot of pace in the film. Here, this film has no kiss, fight or an item number. In that case, the screenplay had to be tighter. It should have been a shorter film. Agreed that it takes a while to establish characters, but maybe some characters could have been less.

The film is good and wonderfully innovative for today’s times, but lacks commercial value for the hoi polloi in India.

All performances are top class. Shah Rukh excels underplaying himself well. You hardly find traces of SRK in the film. The designer clothes have vanished and he’s worn simple stuff selected by Oscar award winning designer Bhanu Atahiya for him. SRK playing Mohan Bhargav and not himself also adds value to his character. But then one wonders why he has not put on a small American accent even though he has been staying there for 12 years according to the film. SRK was there for 22 years in a Pakistani jail in Veer Zaara and remember he had manicured nails there.

Anyway, Gayatri Joshi who did an ad with SRK before, stuns you with her simplicity and beauty. She reminds one of Sonali Bendre so much and makes a good debut.
Kishori Ballal is good, and Daya Shankar Pandey and Rajesh Vivek too are quite adequate.

The cinematography by Mahesh Aney is fine, but not too spectacular. The music is a highlight of the film and we loved it. The dialogues too are lovely at times. Mela Ram’s dialogue towards the climax where he talks of how a bulb in one man’s house is lighting the house of the neighbour but not his own, is a subtle metaphor which tells the story of brain-drain well. Dunno, whether the film could collect good money in India, but yes, it is a must for every NRI (Non Returning Indian).

Music:
About A R Rahman’s music, it just grows on you. It has been growing on me for a long time. The song Yeh Tara Woh Tara shot at night instantly reminds me of Mitwa, but then Udit Narayan is accompanied by a group of kiddies. You can even find a smattering of the Chale Chalo flavour in some parts of the film. The Pal Pal Hai Bhari song to depict a Ramleela sequence again reminds you cinematically of Radha Kaise Na Jale as it moved the narrative ahead, but has a different feel to it once the songs sets in to you. A song in Swades also seeks inspiration from the song from Naam which talks of how the country is missing its son… Yeh jo des hai mera sounds like Chitti Aayee Hai…Frankly, there is no harm if you get inspired by your own self like the theme of the film which says that Indianness can be absorbed and repeated, but take what is good from the west too, but let the final product be still Indian.

Trivia:
This may sound very strange… but believe me the last two Shah Rukh Khan movies are about nannies. While Preity Zinta comes to India from Pakistan to immerse the ashes of her nanny in Veer Zaara, SRK returns to India to find his nanny in Swades.

Reviewed by: Qamar

Now that was one terrible review.

Showing

in Ottawa AMC, 3 shows daily.
http://www.cinemaclock.com/aw/cmva.aw?p ... e&f=Swades
"Swades"
Playing this week at:

Kanata 24 (AMC)
801 Earl Grey Dr., Kanata
Every day: 1:10, 5:10, 9:10

in Toronto:
http://www.cinemaclock.com/aw/cmva.aw?p ... e&f=Swades
"Swades"

Playing this week at:

Albion (Golden Theatres)
1530 Albion Road, Etobicoke
Every day: 1:00, 1:45, 5:45, 8:45, 9:45

Winston Churchill 24 (AMC)
2081 Winston Park Dr., Oakville
Every day: 1:00, 5:15, 9:30

Woodside (Golden Theatres)
1571 Sandhurst Circle, Agincourt
Every day: 1:15, 4:45, 5:15, 9:15
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also playing in Montreal.

http://www.cinemaclock.com/aw/cmva.aw?p ... e&f=Swades

"Swades"

Playing this week at:

Cinéma Dollar Admission 1$
Decarie Square, 6900 boul. Décarie, Côte-St-Luc
Fri: 9:30
Sat: 6:30, 9:30
Sun: 3:30, 6:30

Can't be $ 1 admission. Looks like, they rented a theatre for the weekend.

rediff not much impressed either:
Shah Rukh shines in Swades

Sita Menon | December 17, 2004 12:25 IST


So the big question is: Is Swades IT?

Here's a look at the baggage it carries:



Director Ashutosh Gowariker's Lagaan was one of the biggest hits in 2001.



Lagaan also won an Oscar nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category.


Swades has approximately Rs 300 million (Rs 30 crores) riding on it, and that much to make up.

Here's looking at what it has going for it:


Swades stars today's unrivalled superstar, Shah Rukh Khan.

Pause.

So is Swades IT?

It's gotta be said: N-O.

Would you like to review this film? Send us your review!

A few observations:

It is the first movie in a long, long while that has one lone plot point driving it from start to end.


Mohan Bhargava (Shah Rukh), a project manager working on a rainfall monitoring satellite known as Global Precipitation Measurement at NASA, is struck by the most acute form of guilt when he visits India to meet the nanny he considers as his mother (Kishori Balal).

Faced with poverty, caste system, illiteracy, child labour, lack of electricity and a host of other ills that plague India, he decides to channelise his energies into doing his bit for Charanpur (a fictional village said to be about 200 km off Delhi).

Doing his bit translates to 'lighting a bulb,' as his superior John Stockton (a completely wooden Peter Rawley) patronisingly calls it, for his village.

It is a Rs 300 million, three-and-half-hour long moral science lesson.

Detailing a man's journey is all very well, but here is a film that reminds you of those social awareness documentaries that play just before the start of a feature film in theatres across India.

Sure, no one doubts the sincerity of the idea behind making Swades. Conceptually, it is totally noble. But there is something amiss when you have to drive your point home in every frame of the movie. Especially when you have to say it out loud, rather than show it as a film is supposed to do.

Some people would call it talking down to the audience. Taking the audience for granted. Preaching.

And that is what makes Swades laboured viewing. There is so much morality thrown at you that it soon ceases to be a feature film.

It just becomes one long, giant moral science lesson.

The patchy screenplay, confused production design (Nitin Desai), incohesive editing (Ballu Saluja), unimpressive cinematography (Mahesh Aney) and the very 'scripted' dialogues (K P Saxena) are totally secondary, given the larger picture.

And, for once, the songs in the movie -- composed by A R Rahman -- actually come as a welcome relief from the narrative.

That begs the question: Is this the same person who directed Lagaan?

But here are the two main positives of the film:

1. Shah Rukh Khan.

For the first time in a long, long while, Shah Rukh Khan, the actor, IS the role he plays: Mohan Bhargava. And that is one thing director Ashutosh Gowariker should be credited for.

Shah Rukh Khan is sincere, takes you through the gamut of the journey his character experiences, even brings in shades to Mohan Bhargava's character. This may not be his 'best,' but this will definitely go down as one of his most 'genuine' performances.

Newcomer Gayatri Joshi, as Gita, the village schoolteacher, and Mohan's love interest, is fairly competent.

2. And the second positive: Director Gowariker's intentions behind making Swades. It is admirable that he keeps the movie well-grounded and down-to-earth throughout, not succumbing to any commercial pressures.

But all said and done, 'Houston, we [definitely] have a problem.'

SWADES in Trouble??

http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.p ... uld~see~it

Excerpts:

Mixed Fare

Jaskiran Kaur
Posted online: Saturday, December 18, 2004 at 0028 hours IST

Although the first show went almost empty, people trickled in for the second show. While it was a house full at Fun Republic for the second show, Neelam could attract only 50 per cent of the crowd.

‘‘There are already other popular films like Veer Zaara, Musafir and Hulchul running. This can be one of the reasons for less crowd. Also, this film is is serious and thought provoking. Audiences would rather watch a Main Hoon Naa and Munna Bhai,’’ says head of business and operations, Fun Republic, Girish Pandey, adding how the commercial and entertainment factor is important to woo audiences

will the film be a bigger hit than Lagaan? No, because it’s a moral science lecture, cry Amanat Gill and Riya Sidhu.

It took Sholay and Lagaan two weeks before they could go on to become one of the biggest hits. Day One was a little slow. But let’s see if something as simple and straight Swades is able to make a place in today’s world where Page 3 gossip and skimpily clad gals rule.

I don't know about other places, but the hall was fully packed for the screening I attended (in Singapore) and the audience appeared to enjoy the film.

I might write a more detailed review in future - but for the moment I'd just say that it's one of the most sensible and enjoyable films out of Bollywood in a while (though a little high on self-righteousness).

Swades makes it clear that Lagaan was no fluke for Gowariker as far as filmmaking sensibility goes. On the other hand, its box office fate is another matter altogether.

Gowariker is bold to suggest that Indian tradition is not perfect and that one does not need to denigrate America's culture to praise India's. This is a refreshing sentiment in Indian films compared to the jingoism that is more often found. There is nothing wrong with new ideas, and the film tackles head-on the holding onto of outdated sentiments.

The house wasn't packed at the 8pm showing I saw but there were a lot of people. But it seems that unless it is SRK in Veer-Zaara or MHN they won't flock to see the film

saw it at the i max last night. It was above average for me. at some parts it got kind of boring. there was a lot of stuff they could have chopped off to make it shorter and man most of the song were crap. over all its worth a watch but not as entertaining like veer-zaara

I found the picturisation of the songs a refreshing change from the MTV style clips so abundant in films these days. I have nothing against those but there's a time and place for different styles. As for Veer Zara, I find it hard to completely enjoy a film if it's illogical or so obviously formulaistic. I think more discerning viewers would search for some originality and sincerity in a work of art.

the picturisation of the songs are cool but i was talking about the songs themselves i expected more from ar rhaman and i didnt like the lyrics in the songs

Ratings by Taran Adarsh for some of the recent movies:

Swadesh - 1.5/5

Musafir - 4/5

Hulchul - 3/5

Ab Bas.. - 2/5

Aitraaz - 3.5/5

Veer Zaara - 4.5/5

Is Ab Bas... better than Swades - do you agree with Taran?

Without doubt TA is a moron that needs to be banned from every media possible....thankfully how movies do are not dependant on his infantile ratings

Caught SWADES earlier in the evening. I come away with mixed feelings, but by and large it is a likeable venture. It gets extremely preachy and one-sided in places and you cannot but stifle a yawn or two. But overall, Gowariker's heart is in the right place and by all means everyone should see it.

Special praise for SRK who finally turns in a non-cliched and intelligently underplayed performance. I believe this is his best till date (and VEER-ZAARA be damned!). Kishori Ballal is superb as the nanny. Having seen her on Kannada stage in Mumbai ages ago, i am amazed how Gorwariker knew of her and ended up casting her. He must have had a real smart casting manager, perhaps Kiran Rao(also Aamir Khan's current beau) whose name seems to indicate that she maybe from the southern region and hence aware of talents there. Gayatri Joshi is excellent in her debut. Gowariker proves once again that he thinks with his heart and writes with his mind. The humour is so subtle and perfect. It will also tug at your heart strings at absolutely unpredictable moments. I had forgotten Hindi cinema's ability to do so. I am thankful to Gowariker for bringing that back.

All in all, if the length had been reduced by at least half-hour to 45 minutes it would have been a taut and memorable experience. In any case, even in its current form, its a worthwhile experience.

some scattered thoughts about Swades:

i loved Swades, despite its preachiness and poor acting in places (which mostly took place at NASA).
i don't fault the film for its length, even though on subsequent viewings i probably will.
the movie is indeed sincere and refreshing as others have already mentioned.
while it is not as great a work of art as Lagaan, i think i prefer Swades because of it's subject.
i loved both the main music and the background music (especially those parts of the background score which were based on the song "dekho na").
the subtitling of the songs was poor since they seem to equate poetry with old english poetry (ie. "my heart dost yearn for thee")

i watched the movie at woodside cinemas in Toronto and found the sound,projection, and print to be the best i've seen there. make sure you watch the movie in cinema #2.