Swades review :

Ashutosh Gowariker almost reached the Oscar stage with Lagaan (2001) and missed the ultimate honour by a whisker. Lagaan is undoubtedly one of the finest creations of Indian cinema and many books have already been written on it. Unfortunately, the towering success of Lagaan weighed large on his next Swades which was dismissed by then critics as a three and half hour long lecture on moral science. They had clearly missed the underlying pertinent theme that Gowariker wanted to highlight...

A NASA officer (Shah Rukh Khan) travelling to an Indian village to meet his childhood nanny (Kishori Ballal) and then contributing to its upliftment might have sounded too simplistic on paper but the way Ashutosh treats his subject so tenderly makes Swades a slow burner which hits you only in its climax. Yup, this is like a premium scotch which should be relished with right amount of patience and respect and it will certainly give you a high at the end..

Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) is outstanding as Mohan Bhargav and this is a role for which he will attain immortality. It is the best performance of his career and I cannot think of any other star who could've fit in here so seamlessly. Not even Aamir who was approached initally but declined the offer!!

The best part of Swades is every character - even peripheral one like the local postman (Rajesh Vivek) amazed by this new concept of email - remains memorable. The pretty Gayatri Joshi, cast opposite SRK, is totally convincing as the strong willed Gita. Note her chemistry with SRK when she helps him wear a dhoti.

Gowariker and AR Rahman combo works wonders again after Lagaan and all the songs sync in perfectly with the narrative. My personal favourite is "Yuhi chala chal rahi" picturised on SRK and Makrand Deshpande playing a fakir he meets enroute his village.

The dialogues are also a winner. Debating on whether India is a "Mahaan desh", SRK states in one scene "Main nahi manta hamara desh duniya ka sabse mahaan desh hai. Lekin yeh zaroor manta hoon ki hum mein kabliyat hai, taaqat hai, apne desh ko mahaan banane ki". So very true!!

In another scene, the film drives its point without a single dialogue. It is on the railway platform where SRK buys water from the poor boy and drinks it. Just see his expressions at that particular moment. It pretty much sums up the message the film wants to convey...

Outstanding stuff, indeed!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.