Swades At 20| The Nationalism Of Swades, Two Decades On

‘Yeh jo des hai tera, swades hai tera’ rings in the ear with the trademark shehnai every time one thinks of Swades (2004). There is an inextricable longing in the tune itself that accentuates the longing for home in the film. In the world of jingoism and violent ideas of nationalism, Swades stands apart for its genuine, productive, soft and intense love for the nation, with all its flaws, that needs to be acknowledged and worked towards.

Swades released seven years after Border (1997) and in the same year as Lakshya (2004). Border marks the increased popularity of war films with loud, violent nationalism being defined as the key expression of patriotism, which has continued since then all the way to films like Uri (2019), War (2019), and countless more. Typically with Pakistan as the enemy—that accentuates the popularly and politically celebrated idea of nationalism—these films exhibit aggressive ‘wins’ over the typical ‘evil’ that has been made to come across as Pakistan, and within that the Muslim population. Stereotypically, terrorists in Hindi cinema have been mostly Muslims, who are defeated by the jingoistic protagonists then feeding into their own image of the hero that is widely celebrated, making the predominant definition of the hero aggressive, toxically male and myopic. In a context like this, Pathaan (2023) becomes important too, where the villain is a disgruntled ex-RAW agent, and yet falls into the trope of aligning with the perennial enemy, Pakistan.

In that world, Shah Rukh Khan’s Mohan Bhargava in Swades is the alternate—both of masculinity and the proverbial patriot; with the love for his country being emotional, tender and inclusive. His ability—to reflect on what his contribution can mean for the village he visits; to realise that the love for his nation is greater than the love for comforts or opportunity; and to discover the purpose of his life through nationalism—is refreshing and human. Shah Rukh Khan’s physique in the film is lanky and thin, non-muscular and non-threatening. His voice and language is welcoming and inclusive. He exhibits the soft and sensitive masculinity much needed in Hindi cinema today. The film delves deeply into his sensitive side. The deep emotion of longing itself, conflicts within one’s own self and finding the strength then to take a decision that works for oneself beyond accepted ideas of success. Each of these facets are beautiful demonstrations of the kind of feeling, articulate, human men we need, rather than the patriarchal representations so rampant that rob men off of their humanity.

What is also critical is the feeling of ‘belonging’ that is tied to his patriotism, which other films seldom explore. The need for a home to return to, which is truly one’s own; what it means to have one’s own nation as a complete idea of that home; and, the feeling of having an identity tethered to that belonging is what the film explores. It looks at the longing for this home in tactility, from smells of masalas to their colours, the feeling of water on feet, juxtaposed against the warmth of a rug in a room flooded with white, in a country far far away. This is the time when the idea of creating a life full of comforts and opportunities was very aspirational, with living outside the country promising wealth, status, exposure and respect. Films like Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) that preceded Swades, looked at the protagonists leading an aspirational life in heightened aesthetics in the United States. The deep love for the nation in Swades is testimony to what the love for a country actually means, transcending the mere idea of ‘deshbhakti’ that is rooted in the idea of loyalty to a perception—shallow enough to restrict the idea of the right kind of ‘deshbhakt’ who is a Brahmanical, patriarchal, divisive male, or a subservient, patriarchally aligned, Brahmanical female. In Swades, Bhargava’s struggle is about finding a way to return home. This is a home where we all play our part in improving it, owning its issues as well as its beauty. It’s where we acknowledge the need to get our own hands dirty to try and solve its problems, experiencing comfort and purpose while doing so. It is that feeling that the film unlocks for us—a rarity when nationalism is projected in commercial Hindi cinema.

When a film is set in rural India, it is absolutely imperative that the biggest fault lines of the nation are acknowledged. Discrimination on the basis of caste is seldom included in narratives in commercial Hindi films. While often told through the Brahmanical, or the gaze of privilege, it is crucial that the stories of oppression and ostracisation are consistently and authentically told. While Swades too follows the gaze of the Brahmanical NRI, it does not shy away from exhibiting the damage the ostracisation causes. The realities of poverty and snatched opportunities from the ‘lower’ castes are demonstrated, while not calling the oppressor out, but calling the ‘system’ oppressive. As in Lagaan (2001), it is the privileged protagonist who comes to the rescue (almost the proverbial messiah). However, where Swades differs, is in the role that the protagonist plays. Bhargava explains the need to be together, the need to eliminate the caste-based divisions, and befriending members of that community to take his message to the community, enabling them along the way.

‘Yeh tara woh tara’ penned by Javed Akhtar is a song for the situation and for the need of that togetherness. Each line and stanza that talks of the power of a collective is testimony to the secular dream we saw for India. The partition of the curtain that demarcates spaces for castes, and the children eventually bridging that divide, is a sensitive representation of a hopeful future, where the collective will become our greatest strength. The lyrics recognise that without the collective, there is no strength in the individual, no identity and no potential for change. In a highly divisive India, 20 years later, ‘Yeh tara woh tara’ feels like a sad lament for the dream we once saw that many of us continue to fight for, despite being battered, tired and made to feel fearful.

Swades is an important film especially from the perspective of what a nation can be, and how it can be built together. A critique of the ‘brain drain’, it exhibits what education can do. Clearly rooted in ideas of socialism and Gandhism, the film takes us back to the original dreams we saw as independent India—one of opportunity created for and within India, togetherness, love, sensitivity and courage. It instills the courage to jump into a tank to remove the obstructions around a reservoir of ideas that come to life with light. As Swades completes 20 years, it is important to return to it and reflect on its various shades and facets, in a country that has moved in the opposite direction, since.

(Views expressed are personal)