Ashutosh Gowariker makes a slight departure from the normal glitz of traditional Bollywood films in his 2004 film "Swades: We the People". The film explores the universal themes of national identity, globalization versus tradition, and the social constructs of family by documenting the “quarter-life crisis” of Mohan Bhargav.
While lasting 195 minutes, this film struggles to adequately delve into the many topics the director introduces. The viewer is consistently introduced to a theme such as the caste system, implementation of technology, feminism, and family life. Once the theme has been introduced, the director uses the characters to present both sides of the issue. After the audience has been shown the opposing sides of the issue at hand, the director tends to gloss over the topic without providing a concrete resolution causing the audience to consider the issue for themselves. This can be seen in many parts of the film including the feminist proclamation of Gita, the declaration of Mohan that Harabis should not be compelled to pay rent, and the ending scene of the film where we see that Mohan has forsaken his American identity to return to the village.
Ignoring the director’s inability to express a concrete opinion on issues challenging modern day India, the viewer will likely notice the film’s strong use of symbolism. The recurring theme of water helps to illustrate Mohan’s dual national identity and ultimately is used to represent his surrender to his Indian heritage. Likewise the film makes an excellent use of color to illustrate both the different nations and the different castes within the society of the village.
"Swades: We the People" presents an interesting commentary on the true-to-life conflicts facing modern India. However, when these conflicts are truly being explored, the director retreats to the sugar coated film techniques of traditional Bollywood and stops short of presenting answers to the most integral topics of discussion in the film. These shortcomings prevent the movie from becoming a serious commentary on the social struggles of Indians.
I had not considered how shallowly the director covers the individual themes, but you are absolutely right. He mentions them, but then never comes to a concrete conclusion about them. However, I am confused as to how water represents both Mohan's national identities.
ReplyDelete