Swades: We, the People

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.

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.

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

Definitely a thoughtful movie. Thanks to Gowariker, gives an insight to the rural parts of India, their lifestyle, concise outlook… Different treatment of Patriotism, AG is quick to know the pulse of his viewers,

SRK has done a brilliant job. I'd read, a leading director who commented on him, that he comes in a package with best designers, director, music, best locations on shoot etc. etc…, I strongly recommend him to watch this movie, and would like to know what he could say to this. It was good and a big change to see SRK dancing with children. Star SRK has transformed into character, good!!!. AG has carried simplicity in every angle of the film.

Another good thing is the casting, Ashutosh deserve a big applause for this, all faces were apt for the character. Visuals, music, cinematography in short the whole crew a big applause, you guys had done a wonderful job.

Truly anticipate seeing such movies .

Thank god for swades. Its been ever so often that as Indians we have lamblasted the mushy, one track nonsensical movies that were being churned out by bollywood and yearned for something slightly honest and celebral. And now it seems that the moment has arrived. Swades has finally reached the next level of Indian movie-making with the help of ashutosh, srk and rahman where the execution, the concept and the treatment of the film is at least (i can safely assume) close to world standards. There is no point comparing lagaan (the directors 1st movie) to this movie as his earlier venture was purely fiction with no semblance of realism in it. However this movie has so many ingredients of being a pathbreaker for Indian cinema that its almost scary. The feelings and expectations of an nri set aside, it tells the story of middle and upper class India losing touch with the harsh realities of the sufferings of the less fortunate ones all around us (and the fact that we can do very little to change the ongoing scenario is even more glaring and painful). Besides this the movie also deals with the desires and priorities of humans inspite of the trials and tribulations of daily living.

The maturity of the script, the actors and the score makes it a journey of epic proportions without it looking epic at all. The normalcy of the movie is something which might (and hopefully will) change the way cinema is seen and made in India in the future. One can only hope.