The Hindi Language Film Swades: We, the People: A Different Kind of Journey to the East

The analysis of motion picture depictions of leadership, as noted by numerous scholars of leadership education, lends itself well as a tool for conveying core values of leadership. The colorful, surprising, and emotional world of Indian musical films also has something to offer international scholars of leadership. In the motion picture Swades: We, the People (Gowariker, 2004) the path and purpose of servant-leadership is illustrated through an Indian-born US resident, Mohan Barghava, who embarks on his own journey to the East –back to India– and a metaphysical journey to his servant heart. The protagonist’s story in Swades was inspired by the life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a leader who is regarded as an archetypal servant-leader. This film review offers readers the opportunity to look beyond national boundaries and discover servant-leadership through the cinematic eye of foreign film: the contemporary cinema of India known as Bollywood.