Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 17 : The Ashutosh Gowariker directorial film 'Swades: We, the People', starring Shah Rukh Khan celebrated its 20th anniversary today.
The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi and Kishori Ballal while Daya Shankar Pandey, Rajesh Vivek, and Lekh Tandon were in supporting roles.
On the completion of 20 years of the iconic film, the ace filmmaker expressed gratitude to the entire team especially Shah Rukh Khan for his unforgettable portrayal of Mohan Bhargava.
Taking to his Instagram handle, Ashutosh Gowariker wrote, "My heartfelt gratitude to Shah Rukh for embodying Mohan Bhargava with such honesty and bringing forth the message of the film with such conviction."
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Ashutosh Gowariker (@ashutoshgowariker)
Through Mohan Bhargava's journey, I wanted to inspire that sense of purpose within all of us," he added.
While conveying his thanks to the entire team, he mentioned, "This milestone would not have been possible without the incredible Cast and Crew who poured their hearts into this story. I want to first thank M. G. Sathya for his fabulous story, the Screenplay Writing team and the great K. P. Saxena saab for the unforgettable dialogues. Thank you Ronnie, for believing in the film and backing it. Really indebted to every Artist, HOD and Technician who made Swades a reality. To Rahman and Javed Saab - your music and words have been the soul of Swades."
From appreciating the work of musicians to all the singers, he shared, "From Yeh Tara Woh Tara to the timeless anthem Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera, your genius continues to touch hearts across generations. So do the amazing voices of Udit, Alka, Madhushree, Vijay, Hariharan, Kailash and of course, Rahman. Also, without Mahesh's camerawork, Bhanu tai's costume design, Nitin's Art Direction, Ballu's edit, Stephen's sound, Saroj ji, Raju, Vaibhavi, and Bosco Caesar's choreography - this film would not have been the same."
"In these 20 years, we have lost many dear members of our team, whose contributions remain etched in every frame. Actors: Lekh Tandon ji, Kishori Ballal ji, Rajesh Vivek ji, Vishnudutt Gaur ji, Vishwa Mohan Badola ji, Mrs. Farrukh Jaffar aapa, and Peter Rawley. HOD's: Bhanu Athaiya ji, Saroj Khan ji, K. P. Saxena saab, Nitin Desai, and Rajendra Rao. I will always remember them fondly and with gratitude. Their work and spirit will always live on!," he added.
He concluded the post with special thanks to the audience for showering their love and appreciation on the project, "Most of all, my deepest thanks to you, the audience, who embraced this film as your own. Over the years, you have kept Swades alive with your love, stories, and memories. Your connection to Mohan, Kaveriamma, Geeta, and Charanpur has made this film timeless. On this special occasion, I am thrilled to share two Special Edition Anniversary Posters to celebrate this milestone with you, for welcoming Swades into your hearts. Here's to 20 years of Swades and here's to you - May you keep 'lighting the bulb' in your life and in the lives of others on your way."
'Swades' was theatrically released on 17 December 2004, and it opened to rave reviews from critics, with praise for the performances of Khan, Joshi and Ballal, and the story, screenplay, and soundtrack. At the 50th Filmfare Awards, Swades received 8 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Gowarikar) and Best Music Director (Rahman), and won Best Actor (Khan) and Best Background Score (Rahman).
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