There are some movies that over a period of time I have watched over and over again. One factor common among them all is that they all have been really very simple, nothing larger than life in them, have an excellent presentation of a very simple story(one you can relate to) and yes ....none of them have been major blockbuster hits.
Swades is one such movie. I normally don't watch Shahrukh Khan movies, simply because the basic story revolves mostly around his 'lover boy' image. The sole motive of the movie and Shahrukh Khan remains mainly(and quite simply) to earn as much money as it can, making young and not so young girls love him through his mannerism (often wrongly labelled as his charm and charisma). Swades is one big exception.
Shahrukh Khan, portrayed as a scientist working in NASA, comes back to his motherland in search of himself. The movie carries patriotism as the message it is trying to convey(read sell). But it is done in a very subtle manner. No shouting slogans like those in Sunny Deol movies or long emotional dialogues (akin to Manoj Kumar's movies) are there in the movie. He is not fighting terrorism or some corrupt politician (jisne chand chandi ke sikko ke liye apne desh ko bech diya ho). In fact, he tries to counter the basic problems that still plague the society even after 60 years of independence. He comes back to India to fulfil his duties towards Kaveri Amma, his nanny in his childhood. It is here that he realizes what he can do for his country and his people, trying to bring an improvement in society through education and by empowering the lower sections of society.
The greatness of the movie lies in its simplicity. No extrovert display of patriotism (or love for the girl) is used by Ashutosh Govarikar to deliver the message. Music is amazing as is expected of A R Rahman (Udit Narayan actually won National Award for Ye Tara! Vo tara!)The hero does not need to do dhishum dhishum with any villain, does not dance in the rain (or for that matter otherwise as well) doing stupid moves with his girl. He is a very common and simple man, a young guy who went abroad to study, worked there and in his adulthood realized his love for his motherland. Unlike other patriotic movies, he does not come back to village and takes farming as his occupation, rather becomes a project manager at Vikram Sarabhai Space Research Center.
Shahrukh Khan is undoubtedly the most popular man in India. But, unfortunately he is NOT a great actor. He is a good actor alright, but not in the league of Dileep Kumar, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Amitabh Bachchan and among his contemporaries Irrfan Khan. But that is how he is. In the past decade or so, Shahrukh Khan the businessman has taken precedence over Shahrukh Khan, the actor. He does not experiment with his roles, works with the directors/production houses of his choice, in the process makes crores of rupees strengthening the image of Lover Boy that he carries and now even runs an IPL team full of stars but unfortunately is a bunch of losers.
In Swades, he tries to achieve the greatness that eludes him. But regrettably, falls back to a pathetic movie like Om Shanti Om which, to the misfortune of Indian Cinema, is the biggest money making movie ever (I actually became a huge fan of SRK after this movie. Jo aadmi aisi movie ko super hit kara sakta hai, vo desh me kuchh bhi kar sakta hai). It is really disappointing that Swades did not become a block buster hit. But Indian cinema goers still love Masala more than the main ingredient. The generation ahead of us will probably remember Shahrukh Khan as the most popular man(and definitely not as a great actor) India saw in the two decade of '90s and '2000s. I would like to remember him for Swades and Chak De! India...
Well a nice post again!!
ReplyDeleteThe fact that swades was not a hit in India hardly bothered me as long as I hadn’t seen the movie. Swades is a great movie by ashutosh govatrikar. I especially loved the way the hero’s life changes after his meeting with SRK.
My favorite scene of the movie is when on his way back from Haridas’ home Shahrukh’s train stops at a platform and a small boy standing there with a bucket of water bottles hurries towards the train window and starts calling out to the passengers in an attempt to sell his bottles. And shahrukh just keeps staring at him, too moved to utter a word. Some might find it crazy but I personally feel that after giving so many super hits and record breaker movies, this scene is where Shahrukh has given his best as an actor. Was discussing this with a fren of mine on Sat (15th Aug to be précised) while watching this movie on max. She seemed to disagree and hence I just cunt explain. Thanx for giving me the ryte platform at the right time. :)
Swades, I would confess, is one of my favourite movies. “Mujhe... mujhe nahi lagta ki humara desh mahan hai” Mesmerizing genuine dialogues, infact the entire dusshehra event is very symbolic and some of the finest dialogues we get to see there.
The smile on the old woman’s face when she actually witnesses the arrival of “bijli” is unforgettable. It’s a very simple story of a revolution beginning at home. The dialogues about “andhera” are again so symbolic and dats wat the movie is about, fighting against the darkness indoors. Brilliant music and simple and straightforward lyrics. I was awestruck to see how beautifully the problem of casteism has been raised in the movie. Can there be a betterment to the song “ye tara wo tara” in this regard?
And I agree with what you said about Om Shanti Om. After watching the movie I felt that this man doesn’t merely have a HUGE fan following, he has a cult which worships anything and everything about or associated with him. And OSO is not the only example of this. You can not afford to forget “Mai hoon na”. But then this leaves me even more confused, why did this cult fail to acknowledge his presence in “Swades”.
A correction:
ReplyDeleteI especially loved the way the hero’s life changes after his meeting with Haridas.
@Priyanka Didi: Thanks a lot for your wonderful comment. I wanted to write so many things about the movie but didn't because the post would have become too long.
ReplyDeleteShahrukh Khan has given a totally un-Shahrukh performance in the movie. He tries to move away from his stereotype image and movies and for a change does not target girls as his prinicipal audience.
The movie is undoubtedly one of the best of modern times.
It's a pity that such movies don't find audience.
Even I wrote this post after watching the movie on Max :)
Indeed one of the best movies of recent times..
ReplyDeleteI love this movie and especially this song" yeh jo des hai tera"...
U have beautifully reviewed the movie as well as srk's performance... The first comment is also really nice...
My native village( where my father hails from) closely resembles the one portrayed in swades...there people are largely oblivious of any reforms or whatsoever taking place in urban areas, they live in abject poverty ,often being the victims of famines when their crops fail them, age beyond their years owing to malnutrition...Few people like my dad are lucky to migrate to nearby towns or cities for their education while most others languish in their huts awaiting somebody to do a "mohan" of swades for them...
Nice Post.
ReplyDeleteI am sure you would have also loved "The Pursuit Of Happiness" starring Smith.
One of the most simple & beautiful screenplay one can ask for!!