Swades is not Lagaan Part 2 . Review on Swades

Swades is not a movie,it is an experience.To be felt,understood and remembered.If you leave the theatre with this film having not made any impression on you,you are really a hard nut to crack.

It is the story of Mohan Bhargava(Shahrukh Khan),a NRI who struggles to come to terms with his identity.Successful,with all the luxuries he could have ever wanted,he is a project manager at NASA.The story unfolds as he embarks on a trip to India to meet his childhood nanny and bring her back to America.What starts as a vacation of 2 weeks turns into a thought provoking,eye opening self discovery for Mohan.Confronted with the grim reality of his country,he is at first unable to deal with it.But drawing upon hidden reserves of strength which even he was hitherto unaware of,he strives to make a difference in his own way.By helping to start a high school,by constructing a rudimentary hydroelectric power station and by lessening,to some extent,caste discrimination in the small village of Charanpur.

The most poignant moment in the film is when Mohan sees a small boy selling water for 25 paise per glass.In charge of constructing a Global Precipitation Satellite back at NASA,he finally comprehends the true importance of water and the pitiful state of affairs due to which such a basic amenity has to be sold.

Matters are further complicated when he falls in love with Geeta (Gayatri Joshi) who refuses to leave her country in order to settle with Mohan in America.Mohan returns to NASA and gets busy in the weeks preceding the launch of the GPM satellite but is tormented by thoughts of Geeta,Charanpur and the experiences he went through there. Somewhere deep inside him,something finally responds to the call of his country’s soil and he resigns from NASA,to go back to his motherland,for better or for worse.

Ashutosh Gowarikar as a director and as a storywriter,has once again proved his mettle.Swades is a far riskier proposition than Lagaan which had our passionate love for cricket in its favour.Swades on the other hand is grounded in today’s time.Maybe this explains the unexpected dismal state of the film at the box office.Maybe we as a people,as a country are not yet ready to come to terms with who we are,how we are and why.Our ever ready slogan “We are like this only” seems to fall short now.

The music is refreshing,typical A R Rehman.It doesn’t distract one from the theme of the movie but rather complements its earthy,sober feel.Mahesh Aney’s cinematography is refreshingly simple.It brings to life in a very real way,rural India,its sights and sounds.

If the movie falls short somewhere,it is in the fact that Mohan’s transition from his NRI-mentality to a man overwhelmed by the cruel truth of his country’s plight is not very well explored.

As for the performances,Gayatri Joshi surprises one with her grace and talent.She manages to hold her own in the film and make a good impression.Kishori Bullal as Mohan’s nanny Kaveriamma is endearing. Other supporting artistesalso make their presence felt.

But the movie ,as always,belongs to the actor(not just the superstar) Shahrukh Khan.He fits with equal ease into the role of a smart,suave NASA engineer and the foreign returned confused guy who rediscovers his roots.No trace of his larger than life persona here.Each and every common man can identify with his pain,anguish and guilt as he struggles to hold back tears on witnessing the many tales of poverty,racial discrimination,illiteracy rampant in rural India.Undoubtedly one of his best performances,Shahrukh Khan has yet another time raised the benchmark for his contemporaries.