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Swades () is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language drama film co-written, directed and produced by Ashutosh Gowariker. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, alongside Gayatri Joshi, Kishori Ballal, Daya Shankar Pandey, Rajesh Vivek, and Lekh Tandon.
The plot was based on two episodes of the series Vaapsi on Zee TV's Yule Love Stories (1994–95) which starred Gowariker. The story of a man setting up a micro hydroelectric project to generate electricity was reported to be inspired by the 2003 Kannada film Chigurida Kanasu which was based on the novel of the same name by K. Shivaram Karanth and Bapu Kuti by Rajni Bakshi. 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 in Kannada medium school in Jalahalli,
/ref> The music and background score was composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics penned by Javed Akhtar.
Swades was theatrically released on 17 December 2004, to critical acclaim. However, it emerged as a commercial failure at the box office. At the 50th Filmfare Awards, Swades won Best Actor (Khan) and Best Background Score (Rahman). Despite its commercial failure, Swades is regarded ahead of its time and is now considered a cult classic of Hindi cinema and one of Khan's best films. The film is owned by Red Chillies Entertainment.
Mohan wishes to return to India and bring Kaveri Amma back with him to the U.S. Following the recent success of Phase I of his project, he takes a few weeks off and travels to India. He visits Kaveri Amma's old age home but learns that she no longer lives there and went to a village named Charanpur a year ago. Mohan decides to travel to Charanpur.
Mohan uses a recreational vehicle to reach the village, fearing that he might not get the required facilities there. Upon reaching Charanpur, he reunities with Kaveri Amma and learns that his childhood friend Geeta, whom he referred to as '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. The village, however, is divided largely by caste and religious beliefs. Geeta disapproves of Mohan's arrival, believing that he will take Kaveri Amma back with him to the U.S, leaving she and her younger brother, Nandan 'Chiku' alone. Kaveri Amma tells Mohan that she needs to get Gita married first as it is her responsibility. Gita is a strong believer of women's empowerment and gender equality, which attracts Mohan to her and he decides to help her by campaigning for education among backward communities and girls. Mohan befriends villagers, Nivaaran and Mela Ram, and they support him in his campaign. Mohan also gains the attention of Dadaji, a kind village chief.
Mohan and Geeta eventually grow closer. Kaveri Amma asks Mohan to visit a nearby village named Kodi to collect money from a man named Haridas who owes it to Geeta. Mohan visits Kodi and feels empathetic towards Haridas for his poor condition, which is such that he is unable to provide for his family with meals each day. Haridas tells Mohan that since he belongs to a low caste, his job as a weaver wasn't earning him enough money, so he started tenant farming. However, this change in profession led to him getting shunned by the villagers, who even denied him water for his crops. Mohan begins to understand the situation and realizes 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 stay by three weeks. He learns that electricity inconsistency and frequent power cuts are a major problem in Charanpur. He decides to set up a hydroelectric power generation facility from a nearby water source. Mohan purchases the equipment needed from his own funds and oversees the construction of the power generation unit. The unit works and the village gets sufficient and consistent power.
Dadaji's health deteriorates and he passes away. Mohan is repeatedly called by NASA as the GPM project he was working on has reached its final stages, and he has to return to the U.S soon. Kaveri Amma tells Mohan that she prefers to stay in Charanpur as it would be difficult for her to adapt to a new country at her age. Gita also tells him that she would not settle in another country, and would prefer it if Mohan stayed in India with her and Kaveri Amma. Mohan returns to the U.S to complete the project. He begins to have flashbacks of his time spent in India and considers returning. After the successful completion of the project, he leaves the U.S and returns to India with the intention of working at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, from where he can still work with NASA. The film ends showing Mohan wrestling his friend Nivaaran near a temple.
The film was reported to be inspired by two episodes of the series titled Vaapsi on Zee TV's Yule 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 novel Chigurida Kanasu by K. Shivaram Karanth and Bapu Kuti by Rajni Bakshi.
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.
Swades was the first Indian film to be shot inside the NASA headquarters and inside the NASA research center at the Launch Pad 39A of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rainfall monitoring satellite known as the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) in the film is an actual NASA mission and was launched in 2014. A major part of the film was shot in Menawali, Maharashtra.
On 27 March 2021, members of United States Navy Band sang "Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera" for Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the Ambassador of India to the United States and United States Navy Chief of Naval Operations at a special dinner event. The video of the band members singing surfaced on Twitter and received praise and nostalgia from Shahrukh Khan, A. R. Rahman and netizens alike.
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Subhash K. Jha of Indiatimes 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 the Government of India funded the director's dream."
Mayank Shekhar from Mid-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 of Mumbai or Manhattan."
Jitesh Pillai of the Sunday Times of India gave the film 4 stars and said "After Lagaan, 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."
Shradha Sukumaran of Mid-Day gave it 3.5 stars and said, "At the end of it, Swades is a far braver film than Lagaan. It could have hit the high note – if it hadn't tried so hard."
Avijit Ghosh wrote in The 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."
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