I say this in every review of a movie around 3h or more but movies shouldn't be this long. It's a rare movie that can hold my attention that long and that justifies it's length. In general my opinion is that if you can't tell the story in around 2 hours, maybe it shouldn't be a movie, maybe it should be a mini series.

Indian movies are a bit different though. Releasing a mini-series isn't really an option when much of the country barely has electricity, let alone internet/cable... Coincidently Swades touches on that subject.

The best indian movies though have a certain lightness to them. A lightness that is so very typically Indian, something I've never seen from any other country and something that I can't explain either. A lightness that let's the time just fly by like a breeze. Maybe that's why many of it's country's movies are so long.

Swades isn't the very best of Indian cinema but it's more than decent. It's heart is in the right place. It's a rather shallow story but it does touch on a lot of the nation's issues while telling a personal story as well.

It's a nice viewing experience.