Real life stories behind 'Swades', review
asi...@my-deja.com
Here are the links to the real life stories behind 'Swades'
NASA's GSM project
http://science.hq.nasa.gov/missions/satellite_57.htm
The dam in Wai village
http://us.rediff.com/news/2003/feb/15dilip.htm
Janaagraha and Ramesh Ramanathan
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20041213&fname=Film+%
28F%29&sid=1
Also see http://www.janaagraha.org/
My take on this film:
Swades - review Rating: *** out of ****
Warning: Minor Spoilers
========================
With expectations that were sky-high after the marvelous 'Lagaan',
we set out to Naz8 in Fremont to see Ashutosh Gowarikar's
'Swades'. The highlights of the film were its storyline, direction,
songs, cinematography and acting.
The basic premise of the film is the physical and emotional journey of
a Washington-DC living NASA project manager to India. He goes from
dealing with problems of a macroscopic & highly sophisticated nature,
to facing the frustrations of Indian village life, where its mundane
issues become complex due to the dual baggage of tradition and apathy.
Mohan Bhargava works in a project to launch a satellite that measures &
predicts world rainfall. With their fondness for bureaucratic
signposting, the denizens of NASA have given it the title "Global
Precipitation Measurement". He goes to a village in India to try to
persuade his nanny to return with him to DC, but encounters challenges
that he hasn't foreseen.
Gowarikar has done some deft work with a theme that could have degraded
into a three hour sermon or even worse, drifted into the hopelessness
that characterized the 80's art film genre. He creates characters
that seem very real. The symbolism is apt too. The sole woman
representative of the village panchayat is an old Muslim woman who
looks shockingly like Shah Bano. Bhargava has a fancy cell phone and
laptop in a region where electricity has not reached some houses yet.
Children are like village children everywhere and the people of Wai,
Maharastra must've been recruited to act in the film. The film is
shot very close to Mumbai (Wai, Satara district) and the breathtaking
visuals offer ample testimony to the fact that one does not need to go
to Holland to shoot a good-looking song sequence.
Gowarikar has adroitly handled a debate between Indian and US
strengths, where Bhargava chastises a village elder for criticizing the
cultural traditions of the United States. When the village elder talks
about the unparalleled culture of India, Bhargava quietly, but firmly
puts him in his place. Each one of us has probably gone through similar
moments and therefore, the film is worth seeing for that scene alone.
The metamorphosis of the villagers is a gradual process, reached
through simple achievements.
The director's touches are very evident. When Bhargava takes a shower
in his RV, the soaps, gels and shaving cream display American brands.
This film has, arguably one of the most romantic scenes seen in Hindi
films for years. It is a rather simple shot of Gayatri Joshi tying a
dhoti on Shah Rukh Khan, but it goes to show that you don't have to
splash skin on the 70mm screen to display intimacy.
Gayatri Joshi's character 'Geeta' is well-crafted. She is strong
willed, idealistic and self-sufficient. Gowarikar could've easily
gone the Johar-Chopra route of making her a fashion designer, a
newsreader or any of the glamorous professions that are wont to be seen
in mainstream Bollywood flicks, but he made her a simple primary school
teacher who makes an effort at the grassroots level - fodder for a
fascinating argument between Bhargava and Gita. The dialogues, by the
way, are in very good Hindi.
It is also a bounty of product placements by skillful marketers -HSBC
housing loans, Fedex Couriers, Motorola Phones, Apple computers and the
like are evident in many scenes. A clear sign that urban India is well
on its way to global-integration, while there are rural parts that need
to catch up.
The film is not perfect. It has a few flaws. The actor selected to play
Bhargava's boss is totally unsuited for the role. There are some
scenes that were not necessary. But overall, Gowarikar must be
commended for having the vision and the guts to make such a film. Shah
Rukh Khan has done a very good job, by shedding his 'Rahul' image
to becoming Mohan Bhargava and must be
credited for his effort. Joshi, Ballal, Tandon, Vivek are very good in
their parts. Try to spot Aamir Khan in the film.
It is a film that will make you think. Go and see it.
============
Cheers
Arun
yeskay
asi...@my-deja.com wrote:
> Warning: Minor Spoilers
> ========================
>
>
> Gowarikar has done some deft work with a theme that could have
degraded
> into a three hour sermon or even worse, drifted into the
hopelessness
> that characterized the 80's art film genre.
I think Brangan's review was more closer to what I felt about the movie
than yours. There were sermons plenty, SRK's acting somewhat made up
for
that. Altho' Gowarikar gets the credit for slapping SRK and making him
act pleasantly, nobody slapped him out of a huge Lagaan hangover. I
think
he tried to film all the conflicts in his mind (U.S v/s India,
brain-drain,
poverty, etc.) and I think it was a little too much for the viewer.
And I don't think the rural scenes were not creamed up. It was done
enough, but not as cheesily as in a Manojkumar movie. They were not
close
to reality.
> Gayatri Joshi's character 'Geeta' is well-crafted. She is strong
> willed, idealistic and self-sufficient. Gowarikar could've easily
> gone the Johar-Chopra route of making her a fashion designer, a
> newsreader or any of the glamorous professions that are wont to be
seen
> in mainstream Bollywood flicks, but he made her a simple primary
school
> teacher who makes an effort at the grassroots level - fodder for a
> fascinating argument between Bhargava and Gita. The dialogues, by the
> way, are in very good Hindi.
>
I think her character was a very convenient one for the story. She
happens
to be hero's childhood friend and she is presently available, easily
falls
for him and motivates him to go back to his place. For a social
activist,
she is hardly real, no hair out of place, eyebrows and nails done,
moderately made up. In one scene she is showm having lunch sitting down
on the floor, but eating with a spoon. She even uses words like
atmanirbhrahatha (sp?) without flinching.
> The film is not perfect. It has a few flaws. The actor selected to
play
> Bhargava's boss is totally unsuited for the role. There are some
> scenes that were not necessary. But overall, Gowarikar must be
> commended for having the vision and the guts to make such a film.
Shah
> Rukh Khan has done a very good job, by shedding his 'Rahul' image
> to becoming Mohan Bhargava and must be
> credited for his effort. Joshi, Ballal, Tandon, Vivek are very good
in
> their parts. Try to spot Aamir Khan in the film.
In all the movie is good esp for SRK's acting which kind of justifies
the FF award. He was probably the best among the nominated ones.
The direction is good in parts, could've been better if he was not so
far-reaching. The movie is like eating a nice meal where nothing was
bad to your taste, but not relishing enough either.
rasikararaja
Kanasu which in turn is based on a Novel written by Jnanapeta Award
winner,Sri.Shivarama Karanth.
--Venkatesh
Surjit Singh
rasikararaja wrote:
> How many of you know
I did not know that. Thanks.
asi...@my-deja.com
olbique reference to the book that inspired it - "Bapu Kuti" by Rajni
Bakshi. (You can see the book very very briefly when Mohan and Gita
meet for the first time at the book shop. It is on the table when Mohan
packs Gita's books in a bag.).
I don't recall Mr. Karanth's book being credited in the film. Having
said that, it does not necessarily mean that it was not an inspiration
for him. I do know from a very good source that Bapu Kuti + Dilip D'
Souza's writings definitely inspired the film.
Arun
asi...@my-deja.com
http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/interview/6226.html
http://www.nriinternet.com/Section1/12Movies%20and%20Music/2004/Swades/
Disclaimer: Btw, I use Mozilla so I do not get pop-ups or spyware. In
general, be wary of Indian film/music sites.
Cheers
Arun
Abhay Jain
<asi...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:1110423877.6...@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> Actually, Gowarikar credits Dilip D'Souza in the film. He also has an
Is this the same Dilip D'Souza, a conservative think tank guy in US?
AJ
> Arun
>
asi...@my-deja.com
That's Dinesh, not Dilip. Dilip is more of a socialist and I have tons
of arguments with him on his blog. :-))
http://dcubed.blospot.com <---his blog
Dilip recently won the Picador prize (Outlook India)
Cheers
Arun
rasikararaja
interview of Nagabharana, the director of the kannad movie,
chiguridKansu on thatskannada.com.
In the interview he has stated that Swades has been inspired from
ChiguridaKansu . The person who has scripted Swades is from Bangalore
and his name is Sathya or something. He has denied that the movie was
lifted,but who cares when the source is from Kannada movie or Kannada
novel. We(kannadigas) don't have money or the will power to fight it
out .
--Venkatesh
UVR
> Abhay,
>
> That's Dinesh, not Dilip. Dilip is more of a socialist and I have
tons
> of arguments with him on his blog. :-))
>
> http://dcubed.blospot.com <---his blog
To those who experienced varying degrees of discombobulation
upon visiting the URL above, the blog is actually here:
http://dcubed.bloGspot.com/ (note the missing 'g')
> Dilip recently won the Picador prize (Outlook India)
-UVR.