SWAG Movie Review

SWAG is Hasith Goli’s second film after Raja Raja Chora. The film’s promos seem to have confused everyone with its storyline, which seems to span across generations. The film stars Hasith’s frequent collaborator Sree Vishnu in the lead role. Ritu Varma, Meera Jasmine, Sharanya Pradeep and Daksha Nagarkar play the film’s female leads. Though we assume at first that Meera and Sharanya play supporting roles, they all play Vishnu’s better half in different timelines in the film. Sree Vishnu plays multiple characters — insta influencer Singareni, King Bhavabhuthi, police officer Bhavabhuthi, Yayathi and a surprise character.

What is it about?

Ritu Varma plays the queen of a matriarchal kingdom in 1591 where men are oppressed and treated as second-class citizens, even going as far as to kill male children. Centuries later, the lost male heirs of this royal family stake claim to the treasures of the Swaganika kingdom. The comedy of errors that happen in this process — which also includes members of a rival family trying to usurp these treasures — form the crux of SWAG.

Performances

SWAG is easily one of Sree Vishnu’s career best performances. The actor plays not one, but multiple challenging roles, transforming into each of these characters perfectly with painstakingly distinct looks and nuanced performances. Fans of Sree Vishnu are in for a treat. SWAG also re-introduces Sree Vishnu with the title “King of content” and the actor truly justifies this name with his script selections.

Meera Jasmine is a breath of fresh air, delivering an endearing performances. It is rare to see an actor and actress of the same age be paired opposite each other and Sree Vishnu and Meera share good chemistry. 90s kids in particular will feel nostalgia watching Meera onscreen. Sharanya Pradeep, too, shines in a short but impactful role.

Ritu Varma’s performance is one of the film’s weakest links. She plays two characters — Rani Rukmini Devi and Anubhuti, a hardcore feminist civil engineer, in the present day. While Ritu could not do justice to the writing of Rani Rukmini Devi, the writing of Anubhuti’s character did not do enough justice to Ritu (or the film). Daksha’s character is practically non-existent, and she only seems to be there to provide glamour to the film. Coming from Hasith Goli, who has written female strong characters in the past, this is a bit of a disappointment.

Technicalities

The music of Vivek Sagar is peppy and vibrant, providing the right ambience to the film. While it is not as memorable as the work he had done in Sammohanam and Pelli Choopulu, it is not as forgettable as the work he had done in films like Keedaa Cola either.

The film’s cinematography and production is vibrant and colourful, translating the film’s contours and chaos with great aplomb.

Viplav Nyshadam has done editing for SWAG. The film follows a slightly complex and non-linear pattern of storytelling and the editing greatly rises to the occasion. Certain portions and backstories could have been cut out of the film, but nevertheless, the film’s editing works to a large extent.

Thumbs up

Social Messaging
Literary dialogues
Sree Vishnu’s performance

Thumbs down

Screenplay’s length
Pacing
Confusing story
Weak comedy

Analysis

The story of SWAG is intricate and interesting but also extremely complicated. This creates a very confusing first half, as the audience struggles to make sense of the film’s many narrative threads.

The second half in comparison gets better, as we get more clarity about the film’s core intentions. The comedy also does not work as much as it was intended to work, dragging out the film.

SWAG, however, receives praise for its sensitive and mature portrayal of gender politics. Sree Vishnu will be seen in a whole new light after SWAG.

On the whole, SWAG may work better for youth, multiplex and NRI audience, while alienating families, older folks and people who prefer watching something more conventional.

Verdict: Imperfect but sincere

Rating: 2.25/5