At the centre of it all is of course, superstar Shah Rukh Khan, whose contribution to Indian cinema gets somewhat hidden behind the smoke and mirrors of his larger-than-life persona. Nationalist love and the immigrant experience are common themes in many of his movies, from Chak De! India (2007) to My Name is Khan (2010). The movie seems particularly relevant in this moment in history, as we, the generation that grew up with Swades, go through our own homecoming, in a pandemic that has forced us to move back to our childhood homes; I find myself thinking of Shah Rukh Khan’s Mohan, and his affectionate and endearing look at India’s peculiarities and idiosyncrasies. The citizenry of his hometown may be backward, irrational and rooted in casteism and superstition, but Mohan never once turns his nose up at them, never once treats his motherland with contempt. The supporting roles, be it the tender mother figure Kaveri Amma, young the new age feminist Geeta, the uber-cool wandering Fakir, or the loveable simpleton Melaram, are played by actors who treat their characters with warmth and respect, and one can’t help but be charmed by Mohan and the India he inhabits. Mohan returns to India to visit the woman who raised him after his parents’ passing, his bonds to her aren’t biological. He wants to take care of her and take her to the US, but she refuses to go with him. His relationship with her mirrors his bond with his country, both accidental foster parents, both refusing to modernise themselves according to Western ideals. If Shah Rukh Khan could leave behind his dream life in the US to come back and serve his country, then so, it seemed, could we. If he could come back to support his Kaveri Amma, then we too could come back to help our ailing mother nation.
