Swades: We the People

Swades: We the People is a Bollywood film about a young Indian man named Mohan who lives and works for NASA in the United States. On the anniversary of the death of his parents, Mohan’s sadness invokes guilt for not taking care of the next closest person to him, his childhood caretaker Kaveriamma, who resides in India. Mohan decided to go to India and bring back Kaveriamma. His quest to bring back his other mother brought him to a village where the quality and ways of life changed the way he perceived his homeland and at the same time find love, which caused him to want to make a difference in the village.

Some of the cultures and customs in Swades are typical of not just India but many Asian countries. The young, independent minded Gita who Mohan fell in love with was being set up for marriage. Arrange marriage has been part of many Asian cultures such as China, and Swades shows that it still exists. Gita had turned down the marriage proposal, because her husband and his family expected her to stop teaching and be a house wife after marriage. Though many Asian cultures are starting to treat women as equal, it is still a common belief that the primary duties of women are in the home.

This film is not typical of Hollywood films. Besides the obvious that Swades has a lot of traditional music and musical, Swades’ theme is different. In many Hollywood films, the conflict is usually about a good guy who tries to stop the bad guys through physical might. In Swades, the hero was an educated man who engineered a small hydroelectric generator to bring power to the village. This shows that education in India is highly praised.

The film also has a subtle message that Indian living abroad should return to India and contribute to solve India’s social and economically problems. This is evident in the film ending as Mohan struggles to return to the US and stay in India. The final musical claims all who leave the motherland will eventually return.