Decoding Swades (2004)

Movie no 6/100

May 1, 2018

There are some movies which make you applaud the time, when our superstars had the liberty to shed their vanity. In 2004, after huge hits like Main Hoon Na and Kal Ho Naa Ho, Shah Rukh Khan ventured into an experimental territory that required him to get out of his comfort zone, something which his ‘Fans’ are not accepting lately.

For my 6^th movie as part of the Bollywood challenge, I watched Shah Rukh Khan – Gayatri Joshi starrer, Swades. Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, the movie serves as a calling for people to re-connect to their roots and do their bit for the country. Director Ashutosh Gowariker creates an authentic village, Charanpur, set in Uttar Pradesh where a NASA returned scientist, Mohan Bhargava (played by Shah Rukh Khan) lands in search of his long-forgotten nanny, Kaveri Amma (played by Kishori Billal). A School teacher, Geeta (played by Gayatri Joshi) brings Kaveri Amma from an old-age home after her parent’s death. Charanpur, its people and their problems awaken Mohan about the dire need of attention that his country needs. The film throws a light at the grim situation of our society. There are various instances shown in the movie of inequality, discrimination and poverty in the rural belt of our country, which continue to plague even today.

The movie has quite a few heartening scenes that stir you up. One of the most haunting scenes is the one where Mohan visits a poor peasant Haridas, whose poverty and living conditions move Mohan to question his own relevance. Another moving scene is at the old-age home where Kaveri Amma lived. An old inmate puts an honest yet stinging statement about ‘aaj kal hum buddho ko kaun puchta hai’. Even a serious issue of ill-treatment of outcasts is shown subtly through a movie screening, where the upper and lower castes are separated by the movie screen. There are many such sad yet deeply thought-provoking sequences.

Usually, films with a social message suffer from a love story being forced into the narrative. Be it Jai Ho or Singham, the heroine brings in a largely contrived love track which takes away from the serious subject. Ashutosh Gowariker as a writer brilliantly blends in a sweet love story, while continuing to maintain the sanctity of the subject and the theme. We have a principled and upright girl in Geeta, who holds her ground and makes Mohan fall for her independent outlook. The polite-yet-strong message that she delivers to a prospective groom is a beautiful scene, acted with the right amount of drama.

Debutante (and one-film-wonder) Gayatri Joshi provides able support as the girl who follows her ideals and aims for equality in a patriarchal society. She shares a cute chemistry with Shah Rukh Khan. She speaks mostly through her expressive eyes, though she struggles in emotional scenes. Kishori Ballal is perfectly cast as the warm and adorable nanny, who exudes the charm of a grandmother everyone can relate to. The supporting cast, making up the village folks, are mostly repeated from Gowariker’s previous hit, Lagaan, and provide ample support to Mohan in his tryst with the reality.

But, it is Shah Rukh Khan, who carries the entire film on his shoulder. He portrays Mohan with restrain and delivers a great performance, which he went on to repeat in Chak De India. Mohan transforms from a typical bottled-water-NRI to one drinking water in a kulhad at a remote railway station. He has a dry sense of humor and gets well placed witty one-liners. The outstanding music by A R Rahman accentuates the performances and deepens the impact of the theme. Despite a long run time and an uneven pace, Swades with its pertinent theme is extremely watchable.

Movies like Swades make me wonder what has happened to Shah Rukh Khan now? Is it the colossal expectation from a superstar that make him give us mindless movies? Or is it a case of experiments gone wrong – Fan, Ra.One, et al. But I hope, he gives us another simple Mohan Bhargava soon.