| Swades | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ashutosh Gowariker |
| Screenplay by | Ashutosh Gowariker |
| Story by | M. G. Sathya Ashutosh Gowariker |
| Dialogue by | |
| Produced by | Ashutosh Gowariker |
| Starring | Shah Rukh Khan Gayatri Joshi Kishori Ballal |
| Cinematography | Mahesh Aney |
| Edited by | Ballu Saluja |
| Music by | A. R. Rahman |
Production company | Ashutosh Gowariker Productions |
| Distributed by | UTV Motion Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 195 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹25crore[1] |
| Box office | est.₹34.64 crore[2] |
Swades (transl. Homeland) is a 2004 IndianHindi-languagesocial drama film co-written, directed and produced byAshutosh Gowariker.[3] The film starsShah Rukh Khan, alongsideGayatri Joshi,Kishori Ballal,Daya Shankar Pandey,Rajesh Vivek, andLekh Tandon.
The plot was based on two episodes of the seriesVaapsi on Zee TV'sYule Love Stories (1994–95) which starred Gowariker.[4] The story of a man setting up a micro hydroelectric project to generate electricity was reported to be inspired by the 2003Kannada filmChigurida Kanasu which was based on the novel of the same name byK. Shivaram Karanth[5][6][7] andBapu Kuti by Rajni Bakshi.[8] Story writer MG Sathya had revealed that he was swayed over by the Gandhian principles and the socio - political environment during his formative years while studying inKannada medium school inJalahalli,Bengaluru.[9] The music and background score was composed byA. R. Rahman, with lyrics penned byJaved Akhtar.
Swades was theatrically released on 17 December 2004, to critical acclaim. However, it emerged as a commercial failure at the box office. At the50th Filmfare Awards,Swades wonBest Actor (Khan) andBest Background Score (Rahman). Despite its commercial failure,Swades is regarded ahead of its time and is now considered acult classic ofHindi cinema and one of the best films of Khan.[10][11] The film is owned byRed Chillies Entertainment.[12]
Mohan Bhargava is anon-resident Indian who works as a Project Manager on theGlobal Precipitation Measurement (GPM) program atNASA inWashington, D.C. Mohan moved to the U.S. for college studies and kept on living there after his parents in India died in a car accident. He keeps worrying about Kaveri Amma, a nanny at his home inUttar Pradesh who looked after him during his childhood days. After his parents' death, Kaveri Amma went to live in an old age home inDelhi and eventually lost contact with Mohan. Mohan wishes to go to India and bring Kaveri Amma back with him to the U. S. Due to the recent success of Phase I of his project, he takes a few weeks off and travels to India. He goes to the old age home but learns that Kaveri Amma no longer lives there and went to a village namedCharanpur a year ago. Mohan then decides to travel toCharanpur, in Uttar Pradesh.
Mohan decides to rent arecreational vehicle to reach the village fearing that he might not get the required facilities there. Upon reaching Charanpur, he meets Kaveri Amma and learns how his childhood friend Geeta (whom he called "Gitli" in his childhood) brought Kaveri Amma to stay with her after Mohan's parents died. Geeta runs a school in Charanpur and works hard to improve the living conditions of the villagers through education. However, the village is divided largely by caste and religious beliefs. Geeta does not like Mohan's arrival as she thinks that he will take Kaveri Amma back with him to the U. S., leaving her and her younger brother Nandan "Chiku" alone. Kaveri Amma tells Mohan that she needs to get Geeta married first and that it is her responsibility. Geeta believes in women empowerment and gender equality. This attracts Mohan towards Geeta and he too tries to help her by campaigning for education among backward communities and also girls. Mohan befriends villagers Nivaaran and Melaram, and they support him in his campaign. Mohan also wins the attention of Dadaji, a kind village chief.
Slowly love blossoms between Mohan and Geeta. Kaveri Amma asks Mohan to visit a nearby village named Kodi, and collect money from a man named Haridas who owes it to Geeta. Mohan visits Kodi and feels pity seeing Haridas' poor condition, which is such that he is unable to provide his family with meals every day. Haridas tells Mohan that since his caste profession of a weaver wasn't earning him any money, he shifted to tenant farming. But this change in profession led to his ostracization from the village and the villagers even denied him water for his crops. Mohan understands the pathetic situation and realises that many villages in India are still like Kodi. He returns to Charanpur with a heavy heart and decides to do something for the welfare of the village.
Mohan extends his leave by three more weeks. He learns that electricity inconsistency and frequent power cuts are a big problem in Charanpur. He decides to set up a small hydroelectric power generation facility from a nearby water source. Mohan purchases all the equipment needed from his own funds and oversees the building of the power generation unit. The unit works and the village gets sufficient, consistent power from it.
Dadaji's health deteriorates and he passes away. Mohan is repeatedly called by NASA officials as the GPM project he was working on is reaching important stages and he has to return to the U. S. soon. Kaveri Amma tells him that she prefers to stay in Charanpur as it will be difficult for her to adapt to a new country at her age. Geeta also tells him that she will not settle down in another country and she would prefer it if Mohan stay in India with her and Kaveri Amma. Mohan returns to the U. S. with a heavy heart to complete the project. However, in the U. S., he has flashbacks of his time in India and wishes to return. After the successful completion of his project, he leaves U. S. and returns to India with intentions of working at theVikram Sarabhai Space Center, from where he can also work with NASA. The film ends by showing Mohan staying in the village and wrestling with his friend Nivaaran near a temple.
Swades is inspired by the story of Aravinda Pillalamarri and Ravi Kuchimanchi, thenon-resident Indian couple who returned to India and developed a pedal power generator to light remote, off-the-grid village schools.[13][14][15] Gowariker spent considerable time with Pillalamarri and Kuchimanchi, both dedicatedAssociation for India's Development (AID) volunteers. He supposedly visitedBilgaon, anAdivasi village in theNarmada valley, which is the backdrop of theNarmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) movement. The people of Bilgaon are credited with doing 200 person-days ofshramdaan (community service) to make their village energy self-sufficient. The Bilgaon project is recognised as a model for replication by theGovernment of Maharashtra.[16]
The film was reported to be inspired by two episodes of the series titledVaapsi on Zee TV'sYule Love Stories (1993–95). The story of the lead role setting up a micro hydro electric project to generate electricity was reported to be inspired by the Kannada novelChigurida Kanasu byK. Shivaram Karanth[5][6][7] andBapu Kuti by Rajni Bakshi.[8]
Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson,Tushar Gandhi, noted the theme ofGandhism in the film.[17] The name of the main character portrayed byShah Rukh Khan is Mohan, which was Gandhi's birth name (Mohandas or "Mohan"). The film opens with the quotation:
Hesitating to act because the whole vision might not be achieved, or because others do not yet share it, is an attitude that only hinders progress.
— Mahatma Gandhi
Gowariker tries to address the lack of scientific temperament and widespread ignorance among the rural folks through the energetic number "Ye Tara Wo Tara", where Mohan is seen encouraging the children to experience the fascinating world of stars through his telescope. In a symbolic manner, the song rejects the defunct divisions of caste and class and at the same time, through its protagonist, tries to instill in the audience an appreciation of curiosity and observation.
Gowariker initially offered Mohan's role toAamir Khan (who worked in Gowariker's 2001 filmLagaan), but he rejected it because he found the story to be weak. Mohan's role was then offered toHrithik Roshan, who refused after reading the script.[18] Gowariker contemplated castingR. Madhavan before offering Mohan's role to Shah Rukh, who finally accepted it after listening to the story and he started crying during the story's narration.[19]Bhanu Athaiya, anOscar winner forGandhi (1982), was thecostume designer for the film.
Swades was the first Indian film to be shot inside theNASA headquarters and inside the NASA research center at the Launch Pad 39A of theKennedy Space Center inFlorida.[20][21] The rainfall monitoring satellite known as theGlobal Precipitation Measurement (GPM) in the film is an actualNASA mission and was launched in 2014.[22][23][24]A major part of the film was shot inMenawali,Maharashtra.[25][26]
The song "Dekho Naa" is a modified version of the song "Kichchu Tha" from the film,Baba (2002).
| Swades | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 10 November 2004 | |||
| Recorded | Panchathan Record Inn | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Label | T-Series | |||
| Producer | A. R. Rahman | |||
| A. R. Rahman chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Planet Bollywood |   link |
All lyrics are written byJaved Akhtar; all music is composed byA. R. Rahman
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Yeh Taara Woh Taara" | Udit Narayan, Master Vignesh, Baby Pooja | 7:13 |
| 2. | "Saanwariya Saanwariya" | Alka Yagnik | 5:17 |
| 3. | "Yun Hi Chala Chal" | Udit Narayan,Kailash Kher,Hariharan | 7:28 |
| 4. | "Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera" | A. R. Rahman | 6:28 |
| 5. | "Aahista Aahista" | Udit Narayan,Sadhana Sargam | 6:35 |
| 6. | "Pal Pal Hai Bhaari" | Madhushree,Vijay Prakash | 6:50 |
| 7. | "Dekho Na" | Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan | 5:46 |
| 8. | "Pal Pal Hai Bhaari" (Flute) | Naveen | 3:38 |
| 9. | "Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera" (Shehnai) | Madhukar Dhumal | 4:00 |
On 27 March 2021, members ofUnited States Navy Band sang "Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera" forTaranjit Singh Sandhu, the Ambassador of India to the United States andUnited States NavyChief of Naval Operations at a special dinner event.[27] The video of the band members singing surfaced onTwitter and received praise and nostalgia fromShahrukh Khan,A. R. Rahman and netizens alike.[28][29]
The Tamil soundtrack under the titleDesam[30] was composed by A.R. Rahman. All Lyrics were written byVaali. According to the Indian trade websiteBox Office India, with around 13,00,000 units sold, this film's soundtrack album was the eleventh highest-selling of the year.[31]
| Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|
| "Thirukona Moolam" | S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, Master Vignesh, Baby Pooja | 7:13 |
| "Kaaviriya Kaaviriya" | Madhushree,Alka Yagnik (humming) | 5:17 |
| "Unnai Kelai" | T. L. Maharajan,Hariharan | 7:28 |
| "Unthan Desathin Kural" | A. R. Rahman | 6:28 |
| "Thai Sonna" | K. J. Yesudas, Madhushree | 6:35 |
| "Mazhai Mega Vanna" | K. S. Chithra,Srinivas | 6:50 |
| "Kettenaa Naan" | Mohammed Aslam,Sadhana Sargam | 5:46 |
| "Unthan Desathin Kural" (Shehnai) | Madhukar T. Dhumal | 4:00 |
The film received universal critical acclaim and went on to become a cult classic, and Khan's performance as Mohan Bhargava is considered one of his best to date.[32]
Subhash K. Jha ofIndiatimes Movies gave the film 4.5 stars out of 5 and said, "Swades is a unique experiment with grassroots realism. It is so politically correct in its propagandist message that initially you wonder if theGovernment of India funded the director's dream."[citation needed]
Mayank Shekhar fromMid-Day gave it 4 stars, stating, "I cannot think of a better film for the longest that deserved a stronger recommendation for both touring cinemas of India's villages, and plush multiplexes ofMumbai orManhattan."[citation needed]
Jitesh Pillai of theSunday Times of India gave the film 4 stars and said "AfterLagaan, what? The answer's blowing in the wind.Swades! Here's the verdict: This is a gutsy and outstanding film. Welcome back to real, solid film-making." He added, "Swades is undoubtedly the No. 1 movie of the year."[33]
Shradha Sukumaran ofMid-Day gave it 3.5 stars and said, "At the end of it,Swades is a far braver film thanLagaan. It could have hit the high note – if it hadn't tried so hard."[citation needed]
Avijit Ghosh wrote inThe Telegraph, "With its gentle humour, the film acts as an entertaining vehicle for social change. And hopefully, it will do more for positive nationalism than the Union government's Directorate of Audio Visual Publicity (DAVP) ads ever will."[34]
Swades earned₹15.25 crore (US$1.7 million) net box office in India.[35][36] In the overseas market, the film made $2,790,000.[37] It had a lifetime worldwide gross of₹34.64 crore (US$4.0 million). The film topped the box office inChennai on its opening weekend.[38]
Won
Nominated
The character of Mohan Bhargav, played by Khan, was reprised again inBrahmāstra: Part One – Shiva. DirectorAyan Mukerji confirmed that it is the same character fromSwades.[41][42][43] In the 2023 filmJawan, Khan's character Azad is raised by a character named Kaveri after his parents are presumed dead.[44]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)