Bollywood is notorious for overdoing things so when we saw Swades, it was surprisingly balanced - there is little dispute that it is romanticized, but romanticism is far more the norm in India. Given that scale as a standard, Swades was well calibrated. The acting was well controlled and the story compelling. Shah Rukh Khan is a pretty good actor and so is Gayatri Joshi, not to mention stunningly beautiful. The interaction between Mohan (Shah Rukh) and Gita (Gayatri) in many places is really charmingly done and mature such as the eye contact game when she is tying Shah Rukh's "dhoti".

The music is also very good. The song "Yuhin Chala Chal Rahi" is an fusion of Indian classical, bollywood and western rhythm which really works. The lyrics of the songs are also meaningful.

The only negative I would highlight is that the subtitles during the songs are a little overly poetic and "olde English" - like which detracts from the real lyrics of the song.

Definitely recommend it!