Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Swades bombed at the box office and is now considered a cult classic in Indian cinema.
Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, Swades was rejected by the audiences when it released 20 years ago and was a major commercial flop. The film went on to become a cult classic and is regarded as one of the best performances of Shah Rukh Khan.
1. Swades was rejected by Hrithik Roshan
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Before getting Shah Rukh Khan on board, Ashutosh Gowariker had approached Hrithik Roshan to play the leading role of Mohan Bhargava, a NASA scientist who rediscovers his roots in an Indian village. Ashutosh went on to direct Hrithik in the 2008 historical romantic drama Jodhaa Akbar and the 2016 period drama Mohenjo Daro.
2. Swades bombed at the box office
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Even though Swades was made in just Rs 20 crore and had received great reviews from the critics, the film still failed to recover its budget and earned just Rs 16 crore net in India, as per the entertainment tracking portal Sacnilk. It was the third release of Shah Rukh Khan in 2004 after the two blockbusters Main Hoon Na and Veer-Zaara.
3. Swades is the first and the only film of Gayatri Joshi
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The Ashutosh Gowariker directorial marked the acting debut of Gayatri Joshi, who was a successful model. Her chemistry with Shah Rukh Khan was one of the highlights of Swades. A few months after the film hit theatres, Gayatri married the businessman Vikas Oberoi in 2005 and quit Bollywood to focus on her family.
4. Swades is now a cult classic
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The 2004 film is now considered a cult classic and Shah Rukh Khan's act as Mohan Bhargava is counted among his finest performance in his acting career. The album, with beautiful songs such as Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera, Yeh Taara Woh Taara, and Yun Hi Chala Chala, is also regarded as one of the best AR Rahman soundtracks.
5. Swades won two National Film Awards
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Swades won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer to Udit Narayan for Yeh Taara Woh Taara and Best Cinematography to Mahesh Aney. The film even earned 8 nominations at the 50th Filmfare Awards and bagged two honours. Shah Rukh Khan won Best Actor and AR Rahman won Best Background Score.
6. Swades is the first Indian film to be shot inside NASA
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Swades was the first Indian film to be shot inside the NASA headquarters and inside the NASA research center in the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Shah Rukh is shown as the project manager on the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) program, which was eventually launched by the American space agency in 2014.
7. Swades is referenced in Brahmastra and Jawan
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Shah Rukh reprised his character of Mohan Bhargava in Ayan Mukerji's Brahmastra: Part One Shiva in 2022. Ayan had worked as an assistant director on Swades. In the 2023 actioner Jawan, Khan's character Azad is raised by Ridhi Dogra's Kaveri Amma. The late actress Kishori Ballal had played Mohan's nanny Kaveri Amma in the 2004 film.
