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By Taran
Adarsh, June 8, 2007 - 11:00 IST
 A film like SWAMI takes you back to the cinema of
1960s and 1970s. A simple story with simple
characters, captured on celluloid in the most
simplistic fashion. Come to think of it, a subject
like SWAMI is a rarity today. In an era where
commercial trappings, spell-binding visuals and
technical wizardry are used as tools to garnish a
film, SWAMI is as fresh as the morning dew.
On the flip side, SWAMI has not much to offer to
viewers shelling out Rs. 150 / Rs. 200 for a ticket at
multiplexes to watch larger-than-life movies. A story
of a middle class family, with songs playing in the
background, no great visuals / sets, no masala, no
sub-plots, SWAMI caters to a really tiny sect of
viewers that has an appetite for this kind of cinema.
For the wide majority, it's akin to treating oneself
with boiled food, with no spices to tempt the taste
buds.
Yet, all said and done, SWAMI marks the birth of a
sensitive storyteller -- Ganesh Acharya. The film is
rich in emotions and that's one thing that can never
go out of fashion.
Swami [Manoj Bajpai], Radha [Juhi Chawla] and their
kid [Siddharth] shift to Mumbai after selling off
their ancestral home in a village. In Mumbai, they get
their kid admitted to a school that's patronized by
children belonging to affluent families.
 Everything is going fine until Radha falls ill and is
diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Swami
starts working overtime to raise funds for the
operation, but Radha spends the entire amount on a
chair that Swami wants to possess so dearly.
Radha passes away with just one desire: The kid should
settle down in America some day. How Swami works
towards that dream is the remainder of the story.
SWAMI has an absorbing first hour. The simple story
with simple situations gets finely tuned due to Manoj,
Juhi and child actor Siddharth's true to life
performances, besides Ganesh's execution. In fact, a
number of scenes make you moist eyed in this hour and
you can't help but reach out for your kerchief.
But the second hour plays truant. The story stagnates
in this hour as a few new characters are injected --
the friends at the park. These characters are a
complete put off and only act as a spoke in the wheel.
In fact, this portion should be trimmed instantly to
keep the movie on the right track.
The writing [screenplay: Bhavani Iyer, Muazzam Beg] is
interesting in parts. If the first hour is taut,
there's not much to look forward to in the second
hour. This half has two incidents mainly -- the
daughter-in-law selling off the chair and the son's
trip to America. Besides these, the writers should've
incorporated a few more dramatic moments to keep the
interest alive.
 Ganesh Acharya has handled the emotional scenes very
well. Also, he has drawn wonderful performances, not
just from seasoned actors like Manoj and Juhi, but
also from debutante Maninder and also the child
artist. There's no scope for music [Nitin Arora, Sony
Chandy] in the film and the song or two in the
background are strictly okay. Cinematography [Lenin]
is alright.
Manoj Bajpai is tremendous yet again. This is yet
another performance he underplays beautifully. Juhi
Chawla is effective enough, though one misses her in
the second hour. Maninder is first-rate. The newcomer
holds his head high despite scenes with Manoj. Neha
Pendse is okay. Siddharth is adorable. The kid is
sheer magic on screen.
On the whole, SWAMI is for a miniscule section of
moviegoers only. At the box-office, it'll have to rely
on a strong word of mouth to stand on its feet.
Rating:- * * 1/2
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