Swades and other...

I saw Swades the other day, and was shell-shocked. Before it was going to release, I had huge expectations from it. But after its release, the bad reviews put me off. I didn't think of going to watch it for a long time. However I was dragged into it yesterday. What I saw left me speechless. What I saw was no documentary, no preaching, but just a simple gentle message about our homeland. Swades has only two sequences, which amazed me. But these two sequences were so life-like, so well executed that it brought tears to my eyes. These were not romantic scenes and its the first time, I've cried in a film other than a romantic. Shah Rukh Khan has been wonderful. Showing restraint after a long time, he plays his character to perfection. Going are his jokes, going is his style of teasing the heroine. It is not him anymore, but the Mohan Bhargava, a simple NRI who returns to India. Gayatri Joshi is wonderful in all scenes. She should have got a much bigger role and a much meatier role. This girl is good. I would fully recommend Swades. Do not think that it is escapist cinema. It will not entertain you. It will just give you a simple message. I'll say just that for today.... tomorrow, I'll give you my thoughts on the upcoming films and whether they'll be hits or not.