Swami
Cast: Manoj Bajpai, Juhi Chawla
Direction: Ganesh Acharya
Rating: **
It’s all about a GREAT WONDROUS ROCKING CHAIR.
Everyone -- starting from the wonderful man (Manoj Bajpai) and his wonderful wife (Juhi Chawla, sad she even dies for its sake) to their wonderful child who grows up into a wonderful young man -- has an almost Freudian kink about that rocker. They cannot imagine life without it since it has immense sentimental value. And please, this movie isn’t even sponsored by a furniture showroom.
Bajpai turns old and grey, Chawla wings off to the heavens, and life whether in a townlet or a big city, just isn’t worth living without that kursi. Apart from a Ganpati dance, choreographer-turned-director Ganesh Acharya doesn’t break into a jig.
The direction is straight and simple. Bajpai and Chawla are always a delight to watch. The trouble is that eventually the narrative is too darn earnest, jilebi sweet and cripplingly slow. Acharya’s effort to break away from the boom and the blast is supportable. But he can’t quite pull it off.
Truth be told, at the end of Swami, you never ever want to see a chair, rocking or otherwise, ever again.