Yeh Jo Des Hai Mera.....

Have you ever taken a full blown punch in your gut? Do you know what it feels like? Well I don't know too..but I think it would be somewhat similar to how it felt when Shah Rukh Khan in Swades says " How long are we Indians going to be saying- So what if there is poverty, casteism, communalism, corruption, unemployment here. We have our culture and tradition." And he goes on to explain how every other country has its own culture and tradition and that is in now way inferior to ours. That in my opinion was one of the defining moments of Swades. In pointing out the obvious, in stating in the open a fact which we all know and yet choose to ignore, in making a simple but candid observation, that it is high time we stop brushing all our dirt under the carpet of our Sanskar and Parampara, Ashutosh Gowrikar makes a powerful impact with Swades.

This is not a review of Swades, because, for once, I feel words will not suffice in doing justice to the experience of watching this movie. A realistic screenplay, brilliant portrayals by the cast and magical music make this movie a classic. Some of the things in the movie that affected me:

The reunion: The characterisation and casting of Kaveriamma was most appropriate- affable, instantly lovable, at times fragile, at times the pillar of support you need, and most importantly without a hint of artificiality- making her so easy to relate to. The scene where Shah Rukh meets her in Charanpur was beautifully crafted. There was no melodrama, none of the famed Bollywood senti overdoses, and no dialogues!! You could feel the emotions, the happiness that can make you cry with joy.....

Hunger and Thirst: The scenes where Shah Rukh comes face to face with the stark realities of India- the weaver turned farmer who is ashamed because of his inability to pay his debt, his family who sacrifice their meal and go hungry just to see their weary guests enjoy a decent dinner, the boy who screams his throat hoarse selling water to quench other people's thirst.
What makes Swades so special is the fact that the scenes convey far more than the words spoken- the look of absolute helplessness in the weaver's eyes, the unbridled sorrow when he breaks down. Shah Rukh has given his best performance to date- the quivering fingers when he takes the water, the heartfelt sadness he conveys through his teary eyes. The trademark stammer in his dialogue delivery is missing, but even if it was present it would have seemed so naturally indicative of him being choked by his feelings......

Ye Jo des Hai Tera: A.R Rahman- need I say more.....undoubtedly the best song he has sung so far, the heartfelt emotions, the power of Javed Akthar's words, the haunting Shehnai, you can feel your insides melt, a warmth spread deep inside you, a difficult to describe pleasant uneasiness envelop you, you can feel the soul of India calling out to you.....

Swades is not pathbreaking; It is an honest attempt to tell us Indians to see what is right before our eyes. I also don't subscribe to the common opinion that it is a call to the NRIs all over the world. In my opinion, it is a call to every Indian to make his boondh of contribution towards a saagar of betterment of his country. Swades does not make me drop everything I am doing and go find a village to build a hydroelectric plant( not that I remember enough of my electrical engineering!); But it manages to plant a germ of a feeling within me....a feeling that someday, sometime in the future, I should try and do a little something for my country.......