Short Swades appreciation thread:

At the beginning, there is a shot of Shah Rukh Khan looking out of his aircraft window, as his flight approaches Delhi. He is emotional with happiness and expectation.

Much later in the movie, is the pivotal train station scene, where SRK weeps in despair at what he sees, closer to the ground. What a great movie! Timeless.

I watched Swades in 2004 and remember being super critical, thinking the story was too simplistic. It sure is in its resolution and climax, but everything that Swades captured about rural life, farm distress, caste, faux-nationalism, girls' education, was so beautifully written!

The arguments are real, the tragedy is real, the contradictions are obvious. The hopelessness is painful to watch. Cinema obviously is one of the bright spots in the lives of people!

SRK buys a foot massager for Kaveri Amma, but it is of no use because there is no electricity. Tech solutions crumbling in the face of inhospitable environments...But micro-hydro tech finally worked to bring electricity to the village. Localised tech works!

Swades has a few Gram Sabha scenes. A govt official is held accountable in one. The Panchayat tells him off, as it should as a people's representative body. Upper caste dominance of Panchayats is also a reality.

SRK goes from being a 'tourist' to an emotionally engaged participant by the end, who sees a solution to a chronic problem in the village and is committed to bringing it to life. The journey ultimately changes him more than any change he brings to the village - no saviour complex

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