Swades is not your typical Bollywood movie. It one ups the Chalte Chaltes and Kabhi Khushie Kabhie Ghams typical to Indian cinema. The storyline is not the usual boy meets girl and they can't be together; it is about an NRI (Non Resident Indian) who goes back home on vacation in search of his elderly nanny/governess. He returns home with a condescending attitude towards the "backwardness" of Indian society, but a stay in a small rural village changes his attitude from one of disdain to one of determination.

Shahrukh Khan has never given a better performance. Unlike some of his other movies where his acting constantly reminds you that he is, indeed, Shahrukh Khan (which was probably the point), in this one he blends in seamlessly with the other characters. All the characters are three dimensional and deep, and each of them has a heartbreaking story to tell.

The only thing that prevents me from giving this movie a 10/10 is the obligatory "Yes I'm in love" song sequences. Yes, I understand that they are quintessential to Bollywood movies, but this is the only complaint I have about Swades. Otherwise, it is a beautiful film, stripped of glitz and glamour, that tells a profound and meaningful story.