Swami : the recently released Indian film Out of the movies that are released last week, choreographer Ganesh Acharya’s directorial debut “Swami” is sure to strike an impressive note at least to the connoisseurs of essentially meaningful cinema. To the greater majority of the multiplex-devotees, the
movie may fall flat because of the absence of hypnotizing high-tech visuals or the mind-boggling set of complexities intertwined into the narrative pattern in the guise of texts and subtexts which has become predominantly prevalent in today’s parallel cinema. It neither has
high intellectual puzzle nor delivers the glitz and glamour of the commercial
cinema to enthrall the audience. “Swami” is too
simple for the Indian moviegoers to be digested as their weekend dose of entertainment. Yet people acclaiming such a sensible and emotional theme as that of this movie would never vanish into the thin air altogether.
Swami jogs one’s memory back to the bygone days of the Indian cinema in the 60’s and 70’s when simple narration of
emotionally fervent films emphasized different shades of human relations and family values.
Swami brings to the mind “Dil Ek Mandir” of 1963 by Rajkumar, Meenakumari, Rajendrakumar.A half minute sequence where Radha, terminally ill housewife of Swami, a middle class man struggling to make two ends meet, earnestly asks her husband if their beloved son would ever be able to settle down in America, lies as the vortex of the
film around which the whole narration spreads itself to turn our eyes moist with cathartic tears one needs to be truly stony hearted to watch the movie with passive dry eyes.
Ganesh acharya as the director of the movie manifests a completely different persona. Previously we have seen his role as the choreographer of Lal Badshah, Coolie Number One, Munnabhai series, Mujhse Shadi Karogi, Garam Masala where he sequences raunchy pelvic thrusts and waist twisting Indian ‘latkas and jhatkas’. Here his role as a director is never reminiscent of these previous commercial numbers for his unbelievable display of balance, seriousness, emotional sensitivity, and maturity of handling a simple theme in an interesting manner.
Amitav Bachchan, as the narrator of the tale, calls for our immediate attention as the film begins. The couple Swami (Manoj Vajpayee) and Radha (Juhi Chawla) and their son (Siddharth) sell off their land in the village and arrive in Mumbai to settle down. Their high hopes of providing their son with better chances for career and education pose to be too tough to be materialised in contrast to their stringent financial circumstances. An instance, where a plush English medium school tries to ensure the parents’ financial and educational background, is one such hurdle laid on their path. Besides Radha’s sudden critical kidney disease become hard to tackle for them both emotionally and monetarily. Swami struggles to earn handful of cash extra by working overtime. Radha spends the entire amount to buy a rocking arm chair for Swami who all his life desired one for himself. The chair is a symbol which stands for their middle class aspirations. America is the other name of wish-fulfilment. Radha finally gives in to her terminal disease and dies leaving behind the dream of her son’s settling down in America unfulfilled.
The second half of the movie in a sense drags on and fails to be as engrossing and emotionally potent as the first half. Certain unimportant sections like the park friendship etc are incorporated without any evident correlation to the main plot. Swami’s lonesome life without his wife is poignantly painted and the daughter-in-law’s insensitivity in selling off the rocking chair affects our hearts like a shot.
The music in the film has not been given much scope though within its given compuss it does a satisfactory job. Manoj and Juhi are as per expectation. Their acting expertise does not need to be retold. Siddharth as the kid makes an excellent debut anddisperses bright promises for future.
On the whole the movie “Swami” may not taste a roaring box office success but this kind of movies would never fail to clutch public attention and applause.
More summaries about the Swami