TOW .... Swades

Clips showing SRK wearing very casual-everyday clothes and a ruminative look , first sitting on a royal blue executive class seat on AI ; cut to a different world , the same SRK now sitting in a crowded train getting squeezed from all directions and yet giving the true Indian "it's Ok yaar !" look .... followed by a similar scene, boarded on a overloaded boat sailing on a placid lake ... and then in a bus giving a bemused look to the old man sitting next to him with a compulsive habit of giving an expressionless stare , whilst adjusting his shoulders to sit on a seat that's otherwise supposed to be for 2 ! ....and finally sandwitched between 2 typical 'bhaiya' characters on an old beatten bajaj lambretta (or was it a TVS 50 ! ) , all this with the bckgnd of Rehman's rad theme song .
Now , if this promo dint drag you to watch the best hindi movie in some time now , then there is something seriously wrong with ur decision making cells !!

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The PLOT :
Mohan Bhargava (SRK), a NASA scientist, returns to India, intending to take his nanny back with him. But the village of Charanpur, and of course the nubile Gita (Gayathri Joshi ... who btw is a really cute chick), starts to grow on him. As Mohan becomes increasingly involved with Charanpur’s problems and people, he realises that he must choose between his life in America(that promises a great quality of life) OR , India (that beckons seductively and urgently!)

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Why Swades is the best hindi movie made for the "intelligent" bollywood movie goer , after DCH/Sarfarosh :

>It's the only movie of 2004 that dint confuse , storyline to ... cleavages and upper thighs !!

>it's not some riotous fantasy , but a very possible story .

>it's not about indians living in castles of scotland (wen still in mumbai) or about colleges where girls come in bikinis , or about the notorious underworld . The story potrays the great indian bourgeoisie !!

> the protagonist is not some romantic music teacher clad in expensive clothes , perpetually holding a violin in his hand ; ...but a delhi-ite who went to the states to do his Masters (or BS) in engg , and stayed on to work for NASA as a scientist.

> Unlkike the misleading look given by the name and some bad reviews by critics , the movie talks against 'Indian Culture ' !
It accepts that currently our country is not GREAT , but it has the potential to be one , if we let go off our unreasonable faith in ridiculous traditions(viz the varna system etc) that have been passed on for a zillion years , and stopped using it as an excuse , wen juxtaposed with other developed and developing nations .
It also speaks for America (tat is generally potrayed in bollywood movies as a value-less industrial country fraught with racist whites and hungry-4-sex punks! )

> For the first time on Indian screen ... the village folk look like village folk !!

> Performances .... for the first time SRK has not over acted ( and his charisma stays ). He's done an amazing work , that cud not have been done by anybody else . Seems like he's always wanted to do some intelligent movie like this one , but never got an opportunity to. Awesome work by all the artists .... very natural .

> the music ... AR Rehman ... need I say more .

> the background score ... it makes u want to get into the movie and make that damn turbine work !! ...and also flirt with Geeta .

> the romance .... its clean ,subtle and sweet(prob the last time I'll use tat word)

> the humour ... its not caricatured, but very soft and real-life-like !!

> the dialogues ... whether its Mohan's curt replys to his boss's Qs or total kick ass of the indian pride (for its unreasonable 'sanskars' and stuff ...next time i hear tat word I'll puke of disgust) ... and, they are in english or hinglish ...

> the absolutely impeccable screenplay and the meticulous attention to detail ...

>> The GPM satt that is talked abt here , actually exists and was launched only recently . visit-> gpm.gsfc.nasa.gov , for more on this .
>> Mohan accepts that whatever said and done ,after living in the states he cant live in Charanpur !! And though it's a hard decision , he choses his job to his "LOU" .
>> Near the climax when Geeta prays for Mohan to come back as the caravan sinks into the horizon , any regular intelligent movie goer tired of the Johar-Chopra formula would almost get up to leave . But , Gowariker saves the day by showing the magnificent edifice of the Goddard Space Centre in D.C . , and Proj. Manager Mohan Bhargav back to work , on Phase II of GPM ... doing justice to his job , and the school of reasoning .
>> Mohan doesnt return for his "LOU" Geeta , but for an array of logical reasons .
>> He doesnt return to 'the village' to become a farmer and light bulbs in his leisure time . Instead he plans to join ,The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centreand contribute to the nation's prosperity with his expertise .
>> Mohan speaks in a very urban, americanised(not accented) and laboured hindi, that is fraught with words borrowed from the queen's language .
>> Mohan's love interest , Geeta , is not jus his love interest but an important part of the movie and the theme .
>> And , she's not some 'gaon ki gori' , but a delhi educated social worker .

> Unlike Lagaan , the problems of the village dont disappear with a freak sixer on the last ball ... infact the problems dont end , they just the begin to end . Mohan merely stirs a self propelling revolution .

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# Cons :
> very lengthy
> little documentary-ish
> editing could have been better

# Final word :
- Mr.Gowariker ... Awesome dude !... and thanks for respecting the intelligence of the movie goer.
- SRK ... ur best performance ever. I've never craved to get into NASA more .
- Ms.Joshi .... will u marry me ?


# word after Final word :
' Main chalta hoon '