Swami : Movie Review : Bollywood News : ApunKaChoice.Com


ApunKaChoice.Com	IndiaExpress.Com CricketZone.Com

RSS

HOME | SCOOP!! & NEWS | BOLLYWOOD

Swami

Swami : Movie Review
08th June 2007 21.34 IST
By Aparajita Ghosh

Swami is a very unlikely directorial debut by choreographer Ganesh Acharya. One would have expected song and dance in the film. But 'Swami' is far far from Bollywood stereotype.

The movie is a very simple and touching tale of a middle-class man, his wife and their son. Apparently, Acharya seems not the least besotted with the gloss and glitz of commercial cinema. Rather he believes in tapping the emotive appeal of the medium.

Acharya opts for non-flashy starcast: Manoj Bajpai , Juhi Chawla and child artiste Siddharth. And he tells his story in a very simplistic and straightforward way. The film's story mostly moves in a linear direction. Songs are played only in the background and the cinematography is non-stylistic.

The movie begins with Amitabh Bachchan 's voiceover introducing the characters.

Swami (Manoj Bajpai) is a simple, humble and compassionate man married to Radha (Juhi Chawla). They live in a small home in a South Indian village. Though they are poor, the husband and wife share the hardships and little joys of their lives together.

Swami has a desire to buy a rocking chair. He has had this longing ever since his childhood when he was slapped and scorned for sitting on a rocking chair that belonged to someone else.

This rocking chair is used as a metaphor for Swami's dreams and unfulfilled desires.

Anyway, with the passing of time a son is born into the family. Swami, too, gets a job in Mumbai and the family moves to the city.

Radha, inspired by images of tall building on TV, wants her son to grow up to get a respectable job in the US.

The couple gets their son admitted to a good school. But before Radha's dream is realized, she falls sick and is diagnosed with a fatal illness. She eventually dies. Now, Swami has just one aim: to fulfill Radha's wish and give his son the best of life.

A film like 'Swami' does not hinge so much on its cinematic form as it does on its story content. The movie is replete with emotional moments that will leave you with moist eyes.

However, it must be admitted that the film begins to drag in the second half. A little bit of editorial pruning will do the film good. Also the characters in it begin to look uni-dimensional after a while.

'Swami' rests on strong performances by Manoj Bajpai, Juhi Chawla and Siddharth. Bajpai digs his teeth into the very skin of his character and enacts the part with utmost conviction. His facial expressions, body language and voice modulation: everything is up to the mark. Juhi Chawla is a complete natural. She brings a subtle mix of tenderness and charm into her character. Child artiste Siddharth gives a commendable performance.

On the whole, 'Swami' may not have the usual trappings of a commercial movie but it is rich in emotions. And that is its strong point.

Rating **1/2

Related
Swami
Manoj Bajpai
Juhi Chawla
Amitabh Bachchan


Slideshow - Stunning Bollywood babes in red Spicy hot


'Striker' slow at box office, good on youtube Saved by netizens


Former Miss India in a film on porn industry The naked truth


Watch 'O Mere Khuda' from movie 'Prince' Three beauties and a hero


First Look - Zokkomon Disneyâ€™s first Bollywood film


Akshay Kumar not bogged down by injury Action time


Katrina Kaif takes a rickshaw ride From SUV to rickshaw!


'My Name Is Khan' made them cry Who?


Rakhi Sawant's love for â€˜Bâ€™ Getting ambitious


Bipashaâ€™s body is amazing: John Abraham John drools over Bips