Swades- We the people. Review on Swades

It?s been quite long time, since I watched any good movie in recent time, so decided to end that dry run and went to watch SWADES, the much sought / awaited film by Ashutosh Govarikar, person who created waves with Oscar nominee LAGAAN. Its about the people living in India and mentality of the Indian people living in US of A.

Simple Story starts with Mohan Kumar(SRK), an NRI (probably Non Returning Indian ; as described) and ends with SRK an Indian by heart. The characters and actors portrayed different role makes this one, another NRI movie but with a bit difference.

SRK, pretty much settled working with NASA and off course a green card holder, gets emotional on one fine day in memory of his aunt (KaveriAmma) who brought up SRK in his childhood. He decided to visit her and bring her on shore to the great US. It was the thought that, one couldn't forget the people who stood besides you in early days and helped you touch new heights in your life. Actual Swades starts with visit of SRK to India.

New comer Gaytri Joshi excels in her role as school teacher in small village. One could find handful of character across the movie length but the story mostly reveals in and around SRK and off course life in India especially in Villages.

Well I am not gonna reveal the complete story out here, for that you need to visit a theatre to watch it :)

SRK seems to be enjoying serious and yet mature roles, looking at the recent movies he worked in. He portrayed an NRI who has a heart that always beats for Swades and the problems people face in Swades.

Gaytri Joshi as I said earlier, has made most of her role in movie and looks great in her every appearance. She is the girl who keeps you seated in seat. Her character as a village school teacher looks simple and yet attractive to watch. I mean simple in a way, of her dress sense. She looks absolutely fresh not only in traditional saree but in every other dress without exposing anything. That reminds me the recent flurry of some HOT & SPICY flicks that we all queued to watch with great interest and made few of them HIT as well. It shows that without exposing flesh, one can still catch hold of audience with looks and acting.

Other characters are familiar in terms of their appearance and leave no impression as such. I find Melaram character quite interesting, which showed strong interest in migrating from homeland, but decides other wise in favor of former at end.

Music of the movie seems to be OK and bearable, though not popular as yet. AR Rehman has very little room to show his skills in this movie.

Cinematography is excellent and looks real. SRK traveling on a scooter, in a crowded train or seating among the people on river boat shows class.

As I said earlier, the movie is about people living in India and abroad and their mentality. Its really disheartening to see the real lives of the people living remote village. Their problems and thinking behind it. Although the movie pictures every thing extra when it comes to, but I believe that the life if a villager is no more different that what it was shown in Swades.

It seems like people were used to be living without electricity or frequent (?) shutdown of power. Whether it was a poor farmer, who?s couldn't pay back his loan or it was the Sarpanch (Mukhiya), who don't want to educate her daughters beyond 4th standard looks very real. Its not like that basic amenities would be readily available readily, but one needs to struggle to get those especially in villages and villagers really need someone like SRK to show what they could do on their own, if they have thinking head on their shoulders.

The people who watched Swades, opinioned it as a mere FTII documentary film. It shows really what I mean by a mentality of the people. People living in urban areas will always treat it as mere documentary film rather than looking at the message behind it. Problems that, the people living in rural areas face, would always look theirs till they happened in our daily lives.

By now most of the critics has labeled it as a flop movie. But to me it is a movie that every people living in city should watch at least once to see how they are placed compared to te people living villages.

Lastly I would say, to know or realize the value what this Swades gives, one must be a NRI, not only an NRI, but the one who wants to pay back to his homeland when needed. It has always been said that people don't realize the value of the things till the time they are associated with it, but only when they parted with it.