Swades "Swades: We, the People" (स्वदेश)- India 2004

Swades. Still wondering what that is. I don't recall any references in the film. But I loved it. I have never been into a Bollywood movie (or tried), nor have I ever really watched a full length (3hr+) Indian film but this one made me happy. This is one of the greats, where I come in, not knowing a thing about the movie. Not reading the Synopsis and I am blown away.

At first the subtitles were annoying, because I could hear the characters talking, speaking English, and the subtitles said the wrong thing. It was funny and silly at first but then just unprofessional of Netflix. At first I thought (knowing nothing of the movie, even the year it came out) "Ohh now, what have I gotten myself into." because the main character is sitting on a couch telling his best friend about why he is sad. And from the camera angle, and the score, and the background music, it can be conceived/predicted="Ohh no, he is going to tell us a flashback" and then once that thought spawned in my head I was bracing for impact, waiting for the movie to change to childhood flashbacks. Then, to my surprise, the next seen. We have our main character and a friend singing. Dancing in the most Cliché Indian way. Making me so happy I turned the movie on. I don't know the director nor the actor but I do know that they stroke...striked?...struck gold with this movie. I have never lived in poverty-ridden-India and I doubt I ever will, but I feel as though I have experienced the culture of this to Charanpur. Not only that, but the characters were so... simply complex that I felt as thought these characters really do live in this village, also, I know everything to know in the movie about these characters.

Their struggles as a town with the cast system and working into diplomacy and how our main character affects them really, made me laugh at the progress of these people.

Also, the epic dance numbers. Usually when I say epic, I would mean multiple people all doing the dances, but no. With this, one person was dancing and singing, but the story being told through song, or the moral that the main character has learned and now we have learned displayed through the song, filled me with joy. Just as our main character falls deep in love with this Indian village, we do as well. Thank you India, for long-ass movies; surprisingly good:

SilverRating: 8/10