Thread by @IWTKQuiz

The year 2004 saw the release of a film that many feel is the best role portrayed by @iamsrk - Swades.

After the highly successful Lagaan, @AshGowariker took on this project, about a brilliant NRI engineer wondering if he can make a difference back home.

A Thread🧵

This was the second time @AshGowariker was involved with this story.

The first time was on television for Yule Love Story, a show that had a criminally short run on Zee Tv.

The role of Mohan was played by Gowariker.
Pic courtesy @sachdeva_pankaj

The muhurat shot was given by @aamir_khan. Aamir Khan was in the middle of his shoot for Mangal Pandey.

Here's SRK and Aamir in the same frame.

Interestingly @iamsrk and @aamir_khan
have been seen together in a film, which was the directorial debut of @AshGowariker - Pehla Nasha.

Check out this scene - too many bad puns involving the people involved.

Swades had a cameo by @aamir_khan as well. The film shown to the villagers is Aamir Khan's cinematic debut - Yaadon Ki Baarat.

And we see Aamir Khan asking permission to take a leak and Shah Rukh Khan's shy smile at that.

The story of Swades is inspired in part by the lives of Aravinda Pillalamarri and her husband Ravi Kuchimanchi, who were successful academics in the USA, but left their comfortable jobs to return to India to help in the Narmada Bachao Aandolan.

Curiously, the plot of Swades is eerily similar to the Kannada novel Chigurida Kanasu by the legendary writer Shivarama Karanth.

This novel was made into a Kannada film by @TSNagabharana starring the OG SRK - Kannada icon Shiva Raj Kumar.

Back to Swades, Mahatma Gandhi is omnipresent in the film. It is no coincidence that the protagonist name is Mohan.

The film starts with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi about the need for the right attitude to act.

One of the inspirations for @AshGowariker was the book Bapu Kuti - Journey in the rediscovery of Gandhi, written by Rajni Bakshi.

We see acknowledgement at the start of the movie.

In the scene where Gayatri Joshi buys books, we see the book shown prominently.

In the scene leading up to the song "Yun Hi Chala Chal Rahi", we see @iamsrk listening to 2 Dev Anand classics - Khoya Khoya Chand and Akela Hun Main Is Duniya Me.

The key scene in the movie is the water scene. Before the scene, we see Mohan help Haridas, a debt-ridden farmer struggling to make ends meet.

In Raees, the same actor who played Haridas is a mill-worker, who is also struggling to make ends meet.
Discovered by @sachdeva_pankaj

Swades was the first movie by Ashutosh Gowariker Productions. We see the logo appear in the scene where Mohan Bhargava visit the school on Dussehra wearing a Dhoti.

One of the most fun channels on youtube is run by @Kor5bin and @RickSegall. Their @STUPIDREACTIONS for Yun Hi Chala Chal song is worth seeing and has this EPIC line

"It looks like Shah Rukh Khan is going to cook meth somewhere."

The film had music by @arrahman & lyrics by @Javedakhtarjadu.

At the very top of ARR/Javed saab's oeuvre is Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera, from Swades. Here’s the MTV unplugged version, where @arrahman segues into the Tamil version at the end.

The shehnai version of Yeh Jo De Hai Tera from
from Swades is a fan favorite.

There is a misconception that Ustad Bismillah Khan played the shehnai here. In fact, @arrahman credits Madhu - who is by all accounts Pt. Madhukar Dhumal

Thank You @AshGowariker, thank you
@iamsrk, thank you Gayatri Joshi, thank you Kishori Ballal, thank you @arrahman, thank you @Javedakhtarjadu, and all others involved for a truly special movie.

Do share your favourite aspects about this modern classic!

Also, do follow us on our @instagram page instagram.com/iwtkquiz/

We consistently put amazing content on insta (if we say so ourselves!) and need all your love, help, and support to increase our presence there!