[The following post contains minor spoilers for Slumdog Millionaire]

When I watch movies and television shows, I’m almost always drawn to their soundtracks, especially when I feel they enhance the film. But for some reason, more than just the songs that play underneath the dialogue catch my attention; I also find myself obsessed with the little tiny bits of music that you would never find on a film soundtrack. In general, these obsessions lead to a certain degree of insanity, as the music often can’t be tracked down, and when it finally is, it usually can’t be purchased.

One such piece of music played about 2/3rds of the way through Slumdog Millionaire. In the following clip, Salim Malik gets a phone call from his boss:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.


For reasons passing understanding, I needed to know what that ringtone was (especially because that phone and that ringtone specifically return later on in the film). So the other day, I sent out a Twitter request to see if anybody knew what it was. To my pleasant surprise, I got replies from several different people, explaining that the song was from the Indian film Swades.

Swades is a 2004 film written, produced, and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker and starring Shahrukh Khan. The film follows the epic journey of Mohan Ghargava, a NASA scientist, who returns to India to help his childhood nanny move to the U.S. However, the more he learns about the village that she lives in, the more it changes him and his attitudes towards his home country.

The film won a hefty number of awards and is critically well-regarded; BBC Shropshire claimed it was one of the best films of the year and Slashfilm podcast listener, John, wrote in to say that “This is seriously one of the best movies I have ever seen, Hollywood or Bollywood, and like Slumdog Millionaire, it is set in the backdrop of eye-opening visuals of the ‘real’ India, with an extremely, extremely uplifting message.”

Originally I had rented this film from Netflix to watch it in preparation for writing this article, but the film’s 3.5 hour runtime was too daunting for me this week. I still plan on watching it, but it will take awhile. In the meantime, have any of you seen Swades? If so, let me know what you thought in the comments.

Here’s a clip from the soundtrack of Swades composed by A.R. Rahman, who also did the Slumdog soundtrack. I guess he put his own Swades theme as the ringtone in Slumdog as an in-joke/reference:

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I know a lot of you were on the edge of your seat about this question, so now you can be at peace with this knowledge (plus, you can also use Salim Malik’s ringtone as your own, if you want!).

For the rest of you who don’t care about any of that, you should probably be aware that Amazon MP3 has as one of their Friday deals the now-Golden-Globe-award-winning Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack on sale for the insane price of $5 (go here for my mini-review).

If you liked any of the music you heard during the movie, I can pretty much guarantee that this is worth the purchase, especially for $5. I’m pretty sure the sale only lasts through the end of today, so don’t miss your chance. Thanks to all the readers who sent this in!

You can reach David Chen at Davechensemail(at)gmail.com, where you can send in esoteric requests and cool finds for obscure soundtrack knowledge. You can also follow him on Twitter or on Tumblr.

  • Movie geeks are on par with hardcore music fans, going to great lengths to find what they seek.
  • The don't look like Swedes to me.
  • i saw the movie when it first came out. its a really good movie but its too long. by the w ay, shahrukh khan is my favorite indian actor .
  • Indian Girl
    Yes, Swades is a very good movie, not as brilliant as SDM but still worth a watch!
  • 'Swades' sounds really interesting...I'll probably go watch it this weekend...
  • Is it "David Chen beats off to everything Slumdog" day? Oh wait, that's every day...
  • Drew-Dogg
    What track is that off Swades?
  • Vikgang
    Swades is one the best movies to come out of India. Though 3.5 hrs long it will involve you for the most of its time. It really brings out the true essence of India! Sharukh Khan comes up with a career topping performance in this one. AR Rahman also comes up with some tangy score.
  • Music is such an important part of the filmmaking process.
  • Oh yes! it is from swades sound-track. though the track is not in the cd. you can listen it here - http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=u9IpBA6aqOM
  • Andrew
    You can download it here: http://arrbgm.blogspot.com/2008/01/swades-bgm.htm...
    #5, Theme Song
  • ildar
    ?????!!!!!! thanks!!!!! it is what i need!!!
  • Rosemary
    I recognized the ringtone right away since Swades is one of my favorite Hindi movies. I forget it is 3.5 hours long because it is enjoyable and also because Shah Rukh Khan is my favorite actor. Another song from another one of his movies is heard in Slumdog. It's called Aaj Ki Raat from SRK's movie Don.
  • slckrboi
    Swades is a very good movie. I was totally blown away by it. I am an Indian expat living in Canada so you might say I am being patriotic but this movie put me in to a great dilemma about my responsibilities to my motherland. I think you should definitely check it out if you don't mind Bollywood music and dance numbers, and please don't compare it to Hollywood movies.
  • Haha get the ringtone....
  • Plus, you can use ringtones to see through walls with x-ray vision. I saw it in a Batman movie once.
  • Recognized it as the Swades theme immediately - it's also all composed by A.R. Rahman. Any bollywood-related questions on this site will be answered QUICK - I think you have a lot os South Asian readers lol
  • Some ringtones can be used to acquire x-ray vision. I saw it in a movie once.
  • Just a quick FYI for the non-Hindi speaking crowd: The movie is pronounced "Swuh-theys", and doesn't rhyme with "Spades" :-)
  • I saw Slumdog Millionaire today. Boyle has really done a good job with this movie. While the movie deals with the gory details of the underbelly of Mumbai, it doesnt really leave you with a sick feeling. The story feels like a commentary and at the end you just feel good about the whole movie. Very well done I must say.

    The music score by Rehman is amazing, the actors who played junior Jamal and Salim were the real stars. They were simply too good.
  • karma
    You need to watch Swades, it is one of the best hindi movies that I have ever come across.
  • Jay
    David, please, please rent and watch this movie. It's hard to convince non-Indians about the effect it will have, but for most of us living abroad, it's more than a film -- it's a realization.

    Granted, the film's length might seem a little daunting at first, but once you watch it -- if you're affected by it at all -- you will be wishing that the director left in the other half an hour or so of (in his words) 'trivial scenes' that he had to cut in order to make the film marketable, and glad that he didn't cut it down any further. (Luckily, those scenes are available on DVD for us fans, and I can't tell you how many times I've played them in the background while I'm working.)

    One thing about the film is that every frame, dialogue, and shot has a charm to it. It may not add much in terms of the plot, but the charm -- or rather, idiosyncrasies'-- add to building up a realization for the character, and you can't help but be moved by it.

    Additionally, the messages in this movie go beyond dreams and fulfillment. Along with a love story in the background, the film preaches without preaching -- as it's tagline goes, it's about "We, the people" more than, as such films usually are, "How I achieved my dreams." This is because we are presented with a character who has already 'achieved his dreams' and 'excelled at his career' and is equipped with 'all the possible comforts in life.' But yet he's looking for more -- something is missing in his life, and it's the story about how he finds it.

    To wrap-up, I would agree with the above commenter that this isn't a film to compare to Hollywood, or even the stereotypical Bollywood film. To me, it's a genre of its own, and it comes with its greatness and flaws. Sure, it has song and dance. Sure, it has a few cliches. But the underlying message is one I've never ever seen portrayed on screen so beautifully, and that's what makes it so special.
  • ildar
    People, it's very difficult to me to understand what you talking about. But i understand ONE - you must to know name of ringtone on the mobiephone on the move. PLEASE. say it to me. i'm going crazy of this rington!
  • I actually did not like Swades a whole lot... I thought the idea was really good, and the visuals stunning, but in the end, it was too much about SRK - and too little about the village banding together...
  • aditya's wife
    why dont you marry amir khan
  • yash
    yaa this ringtone is amazing i dont know but it give special effect on my mind
  • marek
    tento film nema absoultnu chybu je fakt super
  • Lily
    This rocks you guys can download it frm here...............http://www.listen77.com/mp3.php?mp3=16560f97-800a-4cf2-92f2-4fb2424b603d&nom=Swades%20Theme.mp3.mp3&id=1247085085477
  • sm7882
    Hey David Chen, You rock.

    I am a hardcore bollywood buff. Even after having watched Swades, Never knew the ringtone was from that movie.

    I just bought a new phone, and thought if I can get the same ringtone from SM. Was very glad to see this page on the web.

    Thanks.
  • dinu
    thank you.i noticed salim's ring tone in film.but i couldn't find it.thank you again. :)
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