Swades: Mohan's homesick even as launch is roaring success

Swades: Back at NASA celebrating the roaring success of his satellite launch, Mohan is increasingly haunted by Gîtâ's pleading eyes now populated with homesick reflections of (clips from) the motherland. The childhood images of (foster-) mother (Kaveriamma) and playmate have coalesced into a more compelling vision of the modernizing nation as an embodiment of the continuing vitality of culture and tradition. Though the focus now is on Mohan's inner conflict in America that is now being acutely lived through as a place of exile, Gîtâ's gaze, by powerfully transforming his self-image, has become an omnipresent mirror.


Video illustration to "Science of love: look into Gîtâ's eyes in the Homeland" (http://www.svabhinava.org/abhinava/Dialogues/ShrngaraBhaktiSeva-frame.php)

Paper on "Love, devotion, and service: retelling the Râmâyana in Gowarikar's Homeland (Swades)"

http://www.svabhinava.org/abhinava/Sunthar-Universalization/LoveDevotionServi...

at the DANAM panel (09 Nov 2009) at the American Academy of Religions conference at Montreal.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Swades
• NRI
• Gita
• Gayatri
• Joshi
• patriotism
• homesick
• motherland
• India
• aesthetics
• Abhinavagupta

[pandit2406]

Friends,

You might also want to check out my paper on "Love, devotion, and service: retelling the Râmâyana in Gowarikar's Homeland (Swades)," posted today at the hyperlink you'll find in the info box above (top right).

It is being presented at the DANAM (Dharma Association of North America) panel (09 Nov 2009) at the American Academy of Religions (AAR) conference at Montreal.

Sunthar

[ponnu1984]

great! i am ur neighbour, i am from trivandrum,kerala!

[pandit2406]

Thanks for your suggestion ponnu1984!

I'll check out both Yuvâ and Aayitha Ezhuthu (Tamil is my mother-tongue), when I get the chance.

Regards,

Sunthar

[ponnu1984]

yes absolutely true about what u said of his fans!!! that is where the problem lies...

and have u seen yuva? i would say see the tamil movie of yuva...its called aayitha ezhuthu.and share ur views on the story!!! hav a great time sunthar! hi5 for u!!!

[pandit2406]

Like you, I've come to appreciate SRK only after his fabulous performance in Swades. I had previously invited a European friend to watch her first Bollywood movie with us: Ashoka (SRK)...it was real embarrassment! Similarly, I found the acting in Devdas to be melodramatically overdone.

It's good to know that SRK considers Swades his best movie. Perhaps the problem is more with his fans who expect only a certain stereotyped role from him (and thus leave him little choice)?

Thanks,

Sunthar

[ponnu1984]

yes pandit sir...i read ur review in ur website...it was really nice and mostly very well written and comparisons were just great and yes indeed its characters like gita..that stand out...she was really a beauty with the brains kind of girl...and it was just great ! i liked srk so much in swades ...a big difference compared to all the usual entertainment type of roles he does...

[pandit2406]

Couldn't agree more!

Assuming you've been able to watch the whole movie, along with the captions I've added, and also read my review, I'd be happy to hear your own interpretations of the various scenes.

Thanks.

Sunthar

[ponnu1984]

such a nice story!

[pandit2406]

Friends,

You might appreciate Swades better when you see it again after reading my ongoing review of its aesthetics entitled the "Science of love: look into Gîtâ's eyes in the Homeland."

Click on my user-name above, and when you get to my YouTube profile, click on the link to my svAbhinava website: you'll see the link to the review in the "What's New" section, top of the left sidebar (unfortunately, URLs don't seem to be permitted in these comments).

Enjoy!

Sunthar