BETALEVEL


Bollywood Night

Swades

Swades
Sunday, August 2
Doors at 7pm; movie starts at 7:30pm
Free

NRI is a term for which we, in the U.S., don’t really have an analogous concept. Expat comes close, of course, but it just doesn’t carry nearly the same depth of meaning as Non-Resident Indian. We are far more preoccupied with immigration than emigration. India, however, has the second-largest diaspora in the world and NRI often alludes to those who have gone overseas for education or work. There is pressure upon them to be unofficial cultural ambassadors while abroad but then also, importantly, pressure to eventually return, bringing the experience they have gained back to the subcontinent.

Within this dynamic, we find Mohan (Shah Rukh Khan), the central character of Swades. After the death of his parents, Mohan takes a break from his job at NASA to return home in search of his childhood nanny with whom he has lost touch. His journey leads him out to a remote village that is foreign to the modern lifestyle to which he is accustomed — and to which he is a foreigner. He must re-learn how to fit in within the country that is still ostensibly home.

 


Schedule

Bollywood Night will continue every other Sunday through August: