Swades draws fresh attention over similarities with 1990s TV episode ‘Vapasi’
Published: 14 June 2025, 3:54:50
Shah Rukh Khan’s critically acclaimed 2004 film ”Swades”, directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, is back in the spotlight—not for its accolades, but for renewed claims that it may have been inspired by a lesser-known 1990s television episode.
A resurfaced clip from Yule Love Stories, a daily anthology series that aired on Zee TV, is stirring conversation online. The episode, titled ”Vapasi”, features director Ashutosh Gowariker himself in the lead role—playing a character named Mohan, just like SRK’s character in ”Swades”. In the episode, Mohan is an NRI who returns to India to visit Kaveri Amma and ends up falling for a woman named Geeta—plot points that strongly mirror the storyline of ”Swades”.
The resurfaced clip went viral on platform X (formerly Twitter), with one user writing: “Hardly anyone knows SRK lowkey lifted ”Swades” from a ’90s Zee TV episode. Bro really made a movie outta a TV serial and y’all out here calling it a masterpiece.”
The viral moment comes soon after actor Aamir Khan revealed in an interview that he had originally been offered ”Swades” but turned it down. Speaking to Zoom, Aamir admitted he found the story unengaging at the time. “I found it very boring! I told this to Ashu when he narrated it to me,” he said. The narration, which took place during the filming of ”Lagaan”, lasted three hours. Back then, the project was tentatively titled ”Kaveri Amma”.
“When he asked for my thoughts, I said I wanted to be honest—‘I got bored,’” Aamir recalled.
While ”Swades” went on to become a cult classic, praised for its heartfelt story and Shah Rukh Khan’s restrained performance, the current buzz over its possible roots in ”Vapasi” adds a new layer to the film’s legacy.
Meanwhile, Aamir Khan is preparing for his next project, ”Sitare Zameer Par”, which also marks the return of actress Genelia D’Souza to Hindi cinema.
