Ganesh Acharya who is known for his stylish choreography turns director with the movie Swami. But is his directorial debut as appealing to watch as his dance steps?
Swami is a simple story of the lives of Swami (Manoj Bajpai) and Radha (Juhi Chawla), a married couple living in a small village in Maharashtra. Swami works as an accountant for a local jeweller and Radha is a home-maker. They are deeply in love with each other and are ready to do anything to keep each other happy. One day, Swami gets a job in the city and he, Radha and their little son Anand move to the city. But in the city, their life suddenly changes…
The story is a very sweet, simple and sensitive one. It describes the relationships between Swami, Radha and their son Anand. To the director’s credit, he has portrayed these bonds on screen very poignantly. The cinematography is as simple as the story, however the village in the movie where Swami and Radha stay has been captured beautifully. The music of the movie is equally melodious, but the background score by Nitin Arora and Sony Chandy stands out as it blends perfectly with the mood of the movie. Among the songs, the title song Swami and Naa Thin Dhinna (Child Of Joy) are the best of the lot. The title track especially has been rendered very well by Hariharan and Chitra.
Manoj Bajpai has delivered a very competent performance in the title role. He has underplayed his role masterfully which reminds us why he’s considered as one of the better actors in bollywood. Juhi Chawla is equally good as Radha and her warm, gentle presence stays with you long after the movie is over. The child actor Master Siddhant looks cute and acts equally well. Maninder as the adult Anand makes a confident debut and holds his own in front of a seasoned performer like Manoj Bajpai. The supporting cast plays their parts equally well.
However, the movie does have its share of glitches. The second half of the movie drags a lot and needs to be shortened by around 15-20 minutes. Again, in the 2nd half, some unnecessary drama has been injected into the story by the director which was just not required. Thus the movie slows down and crawls towards the end. Some of the park sequences for example were not at all required.
On the whole, the movie is not a bad experience. It looks like the director has gone for creative satisfaction rather than making a conventional entertainer. A word of advice though, don’t forget to carry your hankies and tissues to the movie as some of the sequences may reduce you to tears.
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