Swades: Nous, le peuple

This is definitely worth watching. The direction is restrained, SRK has acted really well after a long time, and there is a naive yet charming idealism underpinning the movie. It could have been a tad shorter, crisper editing would have helped. BO-wise it is a risky movie - unapologetic in its depiction of poverty and almost childlike in its appeal to NRIs and India's middle class to acknowledge poverty and try to do something about it. Gowarikar's heart is in the right place - the shots with the family unable to pay land rents, and the waterboy were graceful and poignant. My hunch is that regardless of BO fate, this is an important movie and will be referred to for year to come.

Saw it last night with a packed cinema and I must say Ashutosh Gowariker has done it again. Nice storyline, little slow but he knows how to make a thoughtful film. Really made me think about being an NRI.

Great songs, with A.R Rahman Music of course. The actress Gayatri Joshi played her part very well and she looks very beautiful. Definitely a new star. Shah Rukh Khan well is Shah Rukh Khan, one of the best actors of our times and he can play pretty much any part.

Best film of the year. Watch it and it will make you think.

Its not a masala movie.Intelligent and Thought Provoking. 10/10

Mohan (Shah Rukh Khan) is a very successful engineer working for NASA in the States. His job is a very important one and he lives in a lovely apartment overlooking Washington, DC. But despite this, he's been plagued with dreams recently. He keeps thinking about his nanny that helped raise him and how guilty he feels because he left her back in India long ago. Now he's decided to head back to find her and bring her back with him to live in the States.

His route turns out more complicated than he'd thought. While she had lived in a nice nursing home, some time ago, she left and she now apparently resides in a small village in remote northern India. So, Mohan travels there and soon finds her. But this is very early in the film...there are still about 2 1/2 hours to go! So what's next? See the film.

This is a wonderful story, filled with some lovely acting, sweet writing and a lot of characters you can't help but like. I nearly scored this one a 10 and love the film's messages about working to make the world a better place versus working to make one small part of the world a better place. Well worth your time and among the best of SRK's films....which is saying quite a lot!

By the way, imagine this American's surprise when it turned out quite a bit of this Indian film was filmed near where I grew up. Much of the film is set at Goddard Space Flight Center in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. However, it's also confusing because often scenes switch between there and Cape Canaveral...which are about 900 miles apart! And, if you visit Goddard Space Flight Center, there is a decent Indian restaurant nearby...in case you're interested.

30 minutes after I had viewed the film on Sat, I was not sure about how I felt about this film. 48 hours hence, I vividly remember most of the scenes and can lucidly state that is truly 'haunting'.

Swades is not colorful; Shahrukh doesn't appear in a GAP or POLO SPORT; there are no introductory shots; there are no romantic scenes and no fields with yellow Tulip flowers; It may be a tad slow and lengthy; But Swades hits you where your heart hurts the most; patriotic and root feelings of an individual with good intentions overcoming societal obstacle. It's brilliant, heartfelt and touching. The 'We, People' film really makes us feel like it's our film. We see in the film what we see everyday, the places as they are. It's very much contemporary and it's our story.

Compared to Veer-Zaara, it's light years ahead. Comparisons with Lagaan are bound to be there, but in some ways it's even better than Lagaan. Primarily, for the authenticity and real-life feel unlike Lagaan which was a finely crafted fairly-tale. Lagaan is all about emerging victorious and fighting against the odds. You enjoy it when you see it. Swades is about the conscience trauma of an Indian, urging him to comeback and do something for his country. It haunts you for long enough after the cinema has ended.

There's a prejudice that the film is about bringing electricity to a small village. It's not. And the most poignant scene in the film, where we see a boy selling water for 25 paisa, hits you hard. Seeing the harsh reality and we'll find it difficult to suppress our tears. It's an answer to the generation of materialistic 'we', who never shy from proclaiming our great culture and tradition, but do nothing for our country.

The asset of the film is Shahrukh Khan, looking ordinary and real but in an extra-ordinary performance. His most real since 'Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa' and his career's best. ARR music is soulful and original. The theme song 'Yeh Jo Des Hai Mera' haunts both in terms of its visuals and wordings.

But above all, it's the good intention and the attention to detail, of director Ashutosh Gowarikar that makes wonders for this truly experimental and moving cinema.

I can and will definitely view this movie once more, to celebrate it feel and spirit. I can't predict its box office outcome, as the masses love fantasies and escapist cinema. But it's definitely a treat for those who want to see moving and believable films on a large scale. Also if we don't embrace different cinema like this or even 'the torturous but different Musafir' for that matter, we'll continue to get more 'Sarson ka Saag', 'Karva Chauths', 'Maahi Ve' filled designer romance fables from the Chopra-Johar clan!

Regardless of the box office outcome, take a bow Ashutosh, Shahrukh and ARR!

I recently saw 'Swades' for the first time in it's entirety and was just blown away by it's mature and intelligent treatment on the subject of brain drain. Director Ashutosh G has succeeded in making me feeling completely rejuvenated. There are so many magical moments in the movie,to pin them down would be fruitless. It goes to show what conviction, effort and the power of imagination can accomplish when they all come together in such wonderful fashion. The movie has all my favorite elements- simple clean humor, realism, a blend of old and new values,some truly good old fashioned romance and idealism. I was swept away by the lyrical quality to the film. There were many scenes that stood out. The scene where Mohan and Gita meet for the first time was refreshing and witty.The scene where Mohan entertains the village-folk with the powers of his imagination when the movie projector breaks down....the train scene where Mohan witnesses the hardships faced by rural folk up close... It would be a travesty to think that anyone but SRK was born to play Mohan Bhargava. I've never been a SRK fan,given his penchant for safe roles and scripts.But this movie has changed all that for me. I have a new found respect for his talent. Maybe he will go back to playing inane lover boy roles in the future but for me, he will forever be NASA project manager turned rural crusader Mohan Bhargava. His honest,restrained and utterly convincing portrayal of a successful NRI works,and how! This movie reminded me of a lot of things I had forgotten or pushed into the back of my mind. Indian values.Ethics.The unadulterated and intoxicating joy of pure love.Respect for one's elders and nation. I rarely am moved by any recent Hindi movie. To my chagrin, I even got emotional at certain junctures of the film. I'm sure many of you felt the same way,especially those of us living outside the country. I understand that it's quite possible that's its impact is much more since I'm living abroad, but there's no taking away from the fact that this piece of cinema will be remembered and hailed as a classic work....even a few decades down the line. I salute the makers, crew and other technicians who created this movie. We need more cinema like this. It is relevant, entertaining and has a poignant message. Never, ever forget your roots. This movie made me feel proud to be an Indian and what we, as a people,stand for.