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Swami review |
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Sunday, 10 June 2007 |
Swami
Cast: Manoj Bajpai, Juhi Chawla, Maninder, Neha Pandse
Director: Ganesh Archarya
Rating: **
 Choreographer Ganesh Acharya makes his debut with a film that obviously comes from the heart, but does not have enough substance to match its good intentions.It’s a simple film about Swami (Manoj Bajpai) and his very ordinary life. If Acharya looked to Gulzar or Basu Chatterji as his role model, then he should have had the lyricism of the former and the humour of the latter to make his film watchable.
Swami falls between the realism of its theme and the artifice of its treatment, so it does not work for the art film buff and definitely not for the Bollywood masala viewer.Swami, his wife Radha (Juhi Chawla) and son Anand live in an isolated house in a village and dream of sending their son to America. Swami also desires a rocking chair that would make him forget the incident in his poverty-stricken childhood when he was scolded for sitting in his master’s rocker.
Rather too easily Swami gets a job and moves to Mumbai because Radha wants "English medium" education for the son. They rent a house easily too (in Mumbai a major nightmare!) and with just a small lisping speech Anand gets admission into an elite school. Then Radha gets ill and before she dies, she gets Swami his rocking chair. So far the film had its moments of sweetness. When it moves forward to a grown up Anand (Maninder), his family and job, and their move to a "one BHK" company apartment, it capsizes. There is a boring comedy track between geriatrics of the colony that goes on for too long.
With competent performances by Manoj Bajpai, Juhi Chawla (couldn’t her wardrobe have been less garish?) and promising newcomer Maninder, the problem with Swami is its placidness — there is little or no sustained drama or conflict. Even in its banality, the audience would expect some plausible highs and lows. This is a bit like a stretched-out telefilm and is probably best watched at home. |
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