Apr 20 2006
Deepa Mehta’s “Water”
Last night I had the pleasure of viewing the Los Angeles debut of “Water,” the long awaited film by Indian born acclaimed film maker, Deepa Mehta. It showed at the opening night of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles and follows Mehta’s “Earth” (1998), and Fire (1996).
Water focuses on the horrific oppression of Indian widows in the pre-independence 1930s (an oppression that continues today). Widows ranging in age from about 70 to 7 live in an ashram alongside the Ganges, with shaved heads and white cotton saris as per age-old prescription. To survive, they beg for money, and are forced into prostitution.
The film has a dramatic political background that says just as much about it’s content as it does about the contemporary state of fundamentalism in India. “Water” was originally planned to be shot on location in India in 2000, before Hindu fundamentalist riots burned down the sets, and the right wing government denied her permits. The political content of Water, and Mehta’s earlier films, has long rubbed the Hindutva movement the wrong way. There is a denial of the notion that India, the land of exotic Eastern mystique, spirituality and Gandhi, is also the home of patriarchal, misogynist tradition.
The film was eventually finished on location in Sri Lanka, with a different cast and released in 2005 in parts of Asia. It has yet to be released in US theaters.
Water features a 7 year old widow named Chuhia, played by Sarala, who is sent to the widow ashram by her parents. She has no understanding of the fact that she was married, and that after the death of her “husband,” she is now a widow, at 7 years of age. Chuhia’s right to the innocence of childhood is slowly stripped away as the film progresses.
The film also features the striking Lisa Ray (who appears more white than Indian) in the role of Kalyani. Kalyani is the only widow who is allowed to keep her hair long, for she is the “breadwinner” for the widow community, being forced to sell her body so the others can eat. Hope comes in the form of an idealistic young lawyer who falls in love with her, and is willing to break social taboos to marry her.
Perhaps the hero of the film is Shakuntala, played by Seema Biswas (Shekhar Kapur’s “Bandit Queen,” 1994). Shakuntala has a deep belief in the scriptures that prescribe her life as a widow. But the arrival of the innocent 7 year old Chuhia, and the hope kindled in Kalyani at the prospect of escaping her fate through remarrying, begins to chip away at Shakuntala’s faith.
Mahatma Gandhi is also a character in the film through his words and philosophy. We catch a glimpse of him at the end when he makes a profound statement: “I used to think that god was truth, and now understand that truth is god.”
9 Responses to “Deepa Mehta’s “Water””
its gr8 movie.i had been given a project for film review in english language for board exams. Now I’m class X A very good movie got stuck because of cheap, dirty Indian politicians….that’s what comes in my mind when I think about the movie Water. The local politicians did not let Deepa Mehta shoot the move in Varanasi and did lot of hoo ha…but finally the movie completed but it could not get released in India…not even Music too…..
I just finished watching this movie on my PC and I must say..the movie is one of the best films by Deepa Mehta…
The movie is all about Widows and how do they live…the story takes back to 1938…starting with a very touching scene…
The family is going somewhere in a cart, the kid is enjoying in her own world, someone is trying hard to keep one person alive…the kid has no idea about what was happening, she was happy with her sugarcane…
After sometime…her dad comes and tells her…â€You are Widow nowâ€â€¦the kid surprisingly asks him “For how much time?â€
This was one of the touching scenes of the movie and then the movie adds array of touching and shocking facts which we never knew…
The girl Chuiya is sent to widow house to stay with other widows…the world where Widows do not have life…they starve for food, they cannot enjoy with other people…and they turn to prostitution…
The movie throws light on exploitation of widows by rich brahmin people….the movie also tries to show the love between Narayan (who is educated) and Kalyani (who is widow)…but the main aim of the movie was to show the exploitation on widows by other people..how they were dragged to prostitution….
I found this movie perfect from all point of view, music (only songs) by A.R.Rahman was just too good, the background score of the movie was also very good….
The movie was shot very well..I just loved the colors and great cinematography…just amazing…
On the acting part, Sarala (Chuiya) and Seema Biswas (Shakuntala) were the best…specially the kid Chuiya…
So in short, if you are serious movie lover, then you must watch this movie…the movie is already out on DVD in US and other countries except India, I guess. So if you are in India and want to watch this film..then there are many other ways to get this great movie ;)Â
The film was striking in its cinematography, expressing the vibrancy of colour and beauty of the Indian landscape. Its theme of deprivation and injustice suffered by Indian widows was effectively portrayed without resorting to more overt and less subtle emotional manipulation inherent in mainstream Indian cinema. This resulted in a more effective portrayal and plight of the central characters. Beautiful music resonated perfectly with the mood and feel of the film.
[…] Uprising Radio: Review of Deepa Mehta’s film: Water […]
This was one of the best films I have seen in years. I would love my own copy.
This is one of a emotional movies dat l’ve ever watch…it really shows wat is happening in other countries which we are unaware of… it was a touching movie and it was also an excellent one.
[…] Uprising Radio: Review of Deepa Mehta’s film: Water […]
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