Swades - Movie Review
Published: June 20, 2009
By JENNIFER HOPFINGER
Starring Shahrukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi, Kishori Balal
NASA scientist Mohan (played by Shahrukh Khan) is a non-resident Indian who’s lived in the U.S. for 12 years, but he’s adrift in his new country—brilliant and successful, but tethered to no community, like an astronaut lost in space. His deep feelings of alienation compel him to reconnect with a time and place in which he did have a sense of belonging—his childhood in India.
He returns to his homeland to look for his beloved elderly nanny, Kaveri Amma (Kishori Balal), with the intention of bringing her back to the U.S. with him, thinking she is the only lifeline he needs. But the wise and loving Kaveri Amma knows better. Over the years, he’s lost touch with her, as he has with himself, and when he finds her, she’s reluctant to go with him.
During his visit to her village, he gets to know and like the locals— the postmaster who wants to learn about the Internet, the ex-freedom fighter who teaches at the local school, the cook who wants to open a restaurant in the U.S. Mohan is also deeply affected by the social ills he sees in the village—poverty, child marriage, illiteracy. This isn’t the rosy picture of India found in many Bollywood films and it pointedly criticizes the oppressiveness of the caste system. Mohan comes to care about the villagers, finds ways to help them, and challenges them to help themselves. And he falls in love with his childhood friend, Gita (Gayatri Joshi), who runs the local school and lives with Kaveri Amma. With Mohan’s guidance, the community works together to build an electric power generator.
The movie celebrates what’s wonderful about Indian life without ignoring its flaws and likewise shows what’s missing in America while championing its values of equality. The plodding pacing and the stiff interaction between Mohan and Gita mar this otherwise fine film. While Khan won accolades for his performance, the dynamic actor is better suited to less subdued roles.
Swades is rated Worth Watching.
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