Swades

[Sema]

Hallo!

Yesterday I rewatched Swades for about the umpteenth time and again wondered about something. Perhaps you guys can help me figure it out.

Somehow this movie looks very different, more clear than any other movie I know, very sharp contrast, and well, different. I would like to know how this was achieved? Is it just the choice of costumes and background, or is it some special technique in filiming?
I don't know how to explain properly what I mean, I hope you understand...
It's the look of this movie, and also of all the pictures from the movie that I have seen, there is something really different about it.

Gruß,
Sema

[tanja06]

Somehow this movie looks very different, more clear than any other movie I know, very sharp contrast, and well, different. I would like to know how this was achieved? Is it just the choice of costumes and background, or is it some special technique in filiming?
I don't know how to explain properly what I mean, I hope you understand...

I can guess what you mean - maybe it's something about the colours.. main colours here are blue and yellow, they are dominate here and complimentray colours - that would fit to the effect "sharp contrast". Working with complimentary colours is often used to show and strike out contrasts.
The movie has also many many landscape portraits, and characteric colours are also blue and yellow respectively variants of green and brown, which you'll get when mixing blue and yellow :) IMO this was chosen to emphasize the topic of Swades. And remeber, colours are always transporting emotions...

b.t.w. Swades is one of the finest and most sensible and sensitive movies I've ever seen.

[Sema]

That may be a point. Blue and yellow, yes.... The effect is truly astonishing, it gives Swades a really unique look and feel.

And you're absolutely right with your last sentence, I feel the same.

Gruß,
Sema

[Charla]

what do the colours exactly stand for?

I mean green stands for envy in a romance film and so on, but can you explain the colors here?

[tanja06]

what do the colours exactly stand for?

I mean green stands for envy in a romance film and so on, but can you explain the colors here?


blue is a so called "cold colour" on one hand it's a synonym for sky, wideness, big wide word, one the other hand it's often used for expressing intellectual things - you know, within business dresscodes (dark) blue means to be cool, smart, integrity.

yellow is often used in terms of jealousy, too - like green - but here it's the "warm" colour of the sun and happyness and in shades with direction to brown it's a synomym for the earth, the soil -> swades

It definetely shows the contrast between the two worlds where Mohan belongs to.

colours can be really powerful in their expressions - it always depends on the context they're used in.
you can try it out yourself - i.g. if you try on a red scarf when you're in a good mood or when you're in bad/sad mood - it will always look different at you...

[tanja06]

you'll also find such analogies when looking at costumes:

Mohan meeting this Fakir --- when driving with the camper through the landscape (modern meets origin...)

http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/566/ndvd003lx3.jpg
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/9663/ndvd004tw9.jpg
http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/7318/ndvd008ev3.jpg

b.t.w. this is an initial scene, where Mohan gets aware of the home country for the first time, changing his view (look at the lyrics of the song: Yun Hi Chala Chal)


at the market place:

discussion with the council: Gita wearing a blue Sari (intellectual, teacher)
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/4679/ndvd013mg7.jpg

the cinema evening: Gita wearing a yellow Sari, Mohan wearing blue jeans and blue shirt, and Kaveri wearing both colours with her sari (Yeh tara, woh tara...) - my absolutely fav scene...
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/8888/ndvd014og0.jpg


blue also colour of water - here water is used to produce energy (yellow)

these are only few examples, you will find others through the whole movie.
......

[sareeka]

Thanks for your posts. I have seen Swades may be four times but never thought about the colors and their significance. All I though of was how Shah Rukh can carry any colors.

It is a shame that the movie was not a super hit or better.
Among all my non Indian friends who have seen hindi movies most have liked Swades, Asoka, Dil Se, KANK, Devdas the best. And they have seen all Shar Rukh movies except DDLJ and Don.

Swades will remain one of my favourite of all times.

[Sema]

Thanks a lot,Tanja, for that indepth explanation about the use of colours!
I will have to rewatch Swades once more, to find more examples. ;-)

Gruß,
Sema

[Sunset1]

I love this movie. I can't understand why it was not a bigger hit. Shah Rukh was so good in it.

[PrettY_WoMaN]

:bow: Tania.I dont think even Ashutosh Gowarikher would have thought your way LoL...

[ujjwala]

:bow: Tania.I dont think even Ashutosh Gowarikher would have thought your way LoL...

Yes, I don't think Ashutosh Gowarikher must have thought that way but Tania wonderful analysis.

[Charla]

thank you tanja for the explanation

[SaRah_K]

Sema, do you refer to the REM DVD?
Unbelievable but true: the UTV version is even a little bit better . I was :shocked: when I watched it, the picture-quality almost! perfect, the sound: wow. Many BW-DVDs could be better but mastering is expensive. I don't think they used a special technique filming Swades, but every point mentioned by Tania is right and helps to make Swades the masterpiece we love! :thumbsup:

[Sema]

Yes, I only know the REM version of Swades.
Thanks for the tip, this is one of those movies that I have only rented or lent so far, so when I can buy it, I will definitely check out the UTV version.

Gruß,
Sema

[anna_k]

I love Shah Rukh in swades... his acting was definitely the best of all his films but I find that when Im choosing which of his films to rewatch,I confess I go for the more masala type ones as I find the story of Swades depressing in parts...I felt the story was trying to fit into a pattern of themes instead of the other way round (does that make any sense?) Also I think that Gayatri Joshi was a total washout as a heroine....there was no chemistry at all between them..she was too much of an ice maiden that it bugged me and then suddenly she's almost throwing herself on him...I just couldnt get her..I think someone else (an experienced actress) would have been a better choice (cant decide who at the moment)..maybe Mahima/Juhi/even dare I say Kareena?? Then it would have got the commercial aspect in and it would have blasted the box office.
My opinion is that when Shah Rukh decides to do'different' films (ie not mainstream), it will have a better chance of box office success if he doesnt change too much of his inherent assets ie. his looks, his acting with A-list actresses ...then even if the story lines are radically different..it will still be a commercial hit (which I think was what KANK was all about)

This is why Im a bit worried about Deepika in OSO as she is also a model turned actress...
Incidentally,I think the old lady who was Kaveri was a great actress who unfortunately made Gayatri's non-performance even more glaring
Just MHO:whistling:

[Gangsta]

I agree on the look of the film. But, since I was born color-blind, this is my take on this - We are very used to watching SRK in Johar/Chopra kinda films. A huge chunk of their film is shot in sets, with SRK dressed in the best of costumes. This was SRK's first film in a long long time that was shot almost completely outdoors. And SRK struts around in regular-man clothing thruout the film.
As a film, I did not like Swades much. But the new look for SRK was quite brilliant. I don't think this is SRK's best performance ever, like a lot of critics like to say. But it was great to see him in that role, in those surroundings, something we are not accustomed to. When I see films like these, I always think that he does really need to work with a lot other filmmakers. Karan Johar films are good, but Karan needs to chuck Manish Malhotra and Sharmishta Roy for his next film lest he gets typecast.

[tanja06]

I'm currently watching Swades for - I don't know how many - times now and with every time I watch it, I'm going to love this film more and more.

This was SRK's first film in a long long time that was shot almost completely outdoors. And SRK struts around in regular-man clothing thruout the film.
This is also one thing, why it looks different to other SRK movies and I like it very much.
Even the topic is quite different to usual Bollywood films...and also, if you have a look at the love story - it looks different.