Swades: We, the People | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Ashutosh Gowariker |
Screenplay by | Ashutosh Gowariker Ayan Mukerji Sameer Sharma Lalit Marathe Amin Hajee Charlotte Whitby – Coles Yashdeep Nigudkar |
Story by | M. G. Sathya Ashutosh Gowariker |
Dialogue by | |
Produced by | Ashutosh Gowariker |
Starring | Shah Rukh Khan Gayatri Joshi Kishori Ballal |
Cinematography | Mahesh Aney |
Edited by | Ballu Saluja |
Music by | A. R. Rahman |
Production company | Ashutosh Gowariker Productions |
Distributed by | UTV Motion Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 195 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Hindi |
Budget | ₹25 crore[1] |
Box office | est. ₹34.64 crore[2] |
Swades: We, the People (transl. Homeland) is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language drama film co-written, directed and produced by Ashutosh Gowariker.[3] The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi and Kishori Ballal while Daya Shankar Pandey, Rajesh Vivek, Lekh Tandon appear in supporting roles.
The plot was based on two episodes of the series Vaapsi on Zee TV's Yule Love Stories (1994–95) which had Gowariker playing the role of Mohan Bhargav.[4] The story of the lead role setting up a micro hydroelectric project to generate electricity was reported to be inspired by the 2003 Kannada film Chigurida Kanasu which was based on the novel of the same name by Jnanapith awardee K. Shivaram Karanth[5][6][7] and Bapu Kuti by Rajni Bakshi.[8] The music and background score was composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics penned by Javed Akhtar.
Swades was theatrically released on 17 December 2004, and it opened to rave reviews from critics, with praise for the performances of Khan, Joshi and Ballal, and the story, screenplay, and soundtrack. However, it emerged as a commercial failure at the box office.
At the 50th Filmfare Awards, Swades received 8 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Gowarikar) and Best Music Director (Rahman), and won Best Actor (Khan) and Best Background Score (Rahman).
It was dubbed in Tamil as Desam and released on 26 January 2005, coinciding with Indian Republic Day. Despite its commercial failure, Swades is regarded ahead of its time and is now considered a cult classic of Hindi cinema and one of the best films in Shah Rukh Khan's filmography. [9][10] The film is owned by Red Chillies Entertainment.[11]