Water (film)
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Water is a controversial 2006 movie by Deepa Mehta which is set in 1938 and examines the plight of impoverished widows at a temple in Varanasi, India. The film is also the third part of a linked trilogy by Mehta which was preceded by Fire (1996) and Earth (1998).
The film stars Lisa Ray, Seema Biswas, John Abraham and Sarala in pivotal roles. It also stars Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Waheeda Rehman, Raghuvir Yadav, Manorama and Vinay Pathak in supporting roles. The film's score was composed by Mychael Danna. Songs for the film were composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Sukhwinder Singh. Cinematography is by Giles Nuttgens, who has worked with Deepa Mehta in all her movies.
Synopsis
Water is set in 1938, when India was still under the colonial rule of the British, and when the marriage of children to older men was commonplace. When a man died, his widow would be forced to spend the rest of her life in a widow's ashram, an institution for widows to make amends for the sins from her previous life that supposedly caused her husband's death.
Chuyia (Sarala) is a young girl who has just lost her husband. She is deposited in the house of Hindu widows (an ashram) to spend the rest of her life in renunciation. There are 14 women who live in the house for Hindu widows, a small, dilapidated two-storey house built around a central courtyard. The women are sent here to expiate bad karma, but more often than not, to relieve their families of financial and emotional burden. The ashram is ruled by Madhumati (Manorama), a fat and pompous lady in her 70s. Her only friend is the pimp, Gulabi (Raghuvir Yadav), a sprightly hijra (eunuch) and also a hermaphrodite, who not only keeps Madhumati supplied with ganja, but also with the latest gossip. The two also have a side business; Gulabi helps Madhumati to prostitute Kalyani (Lisa Ray).
Kalyani is breathtaking, and — as a nod to her profession — the only widow whose hair is not shorn. Shakuntala (Seema Biswas) is perhaps the most enigmatic of the widows. She is good-looking enough, a sharp, dark person with secret black-brown eyes. Her generous mouth has an anger set to it. Even Madhumati leaves her alone. Quiet and reserved, Shakuntala is caught between her hatred of being a widow and her fear of not being one. Shakuntala is a very devout Hindu who seeks the counsel of Sadananda (Khulbushan Kharbanda), a gentle-looking priest in his late forties who recites the scriptures to the pilgrims who throng the ghats of the holy city. Chuyia is convinced that her mother will come to take her away. With that thought firmly tucked in her mind, she quickly adapts to her new life with the unique resilience of children. Madhumati sternly initiates her into widowhood.
One day, Kalyani meets Narayan (John Abraham), a young and charming upper-class follower of Gandhi. Upon meeting Kalyani there is an immediate attraction, but the restriction placed on interaction with widows makes it difficult to find a way of pursuing any kind of relationship. Kalyani, also attracted to Narayan, in deference to tradition tells him to go away as it is a sin to speak with widows. Kalyani cannot get the young man she met at the ghats out of her mind and she begins to refuse to oblige Madhumati and her `clients.' Meanwhile Narayan ponders how he can arrange a clearly forbidden meeting. Narayan finds a way to meet with Kalyani and during a covered buggy ride through the British section of the city, declares his intent to take her away to Calcutta. Kalyani returns to the widows' house and whispers the secret of her wedding plans to Chuyia, who is thrilled at the prospect of a wedding feast where one can eat as many sweets and forbidden food as one desires.
One of Chuyia's many tasks is massaging Madhumati's fat legs. This she does by walking along their spongy length. Brimming over with the suppressed secret of the imminent marriage and all the puri that she will eat, she blurts out the couple's secret to Madhumati, and all hell breaks loose at the house for Hindu widows. Suddenly Kalyani's resistance to being ferried across the waters by Madhumati's pimp makes sense. Not only has Madhumati lost a source of income, but also the disgrace of a widow's re-marriage will doom them all to seven lifetimes of being re-born as jackals. Madhumati menacingly enters Kalyani's isolated hovel, throws her to the floor, shears her long black hair and locks her up until she `comes to her senses'. Shakuntala, over the protests of the other widows, unlocks the door to Kalyani's room. It's a quiet act of rebellion that leaves everyone speechless.
A liberated Kalyani walks out of the house, Madhumati's booming voice following her. Kalyani bathes in the ghats, washing away the cruel face of her tormentor, and walks to the small deserted temple where Narayan is waiting for her. Narayan tenderly explores her shorn hair and in a whisper asks her once again if she will marry him. Narayan takes Kalyani to his parents house but upon reaching his father's home, Kalyani begins to recognize the gates of the portico and asks Narayan for the full name of his father. He replies and is perplexed when Kalyani demands that he turn the boat around. What then follows will forever change their lives, and the life of little Chuyia.
Controversies
Deepa Mehta's earlier films Fire and Earth had already attracted hostility from Hindu fundamentalists who objected to her subject matter and had organized attacks on cinemas that screened the films. The resulting tensions meant that Mehta struggled for many years to make Water and was eventually forced to make it outside India.Mehta originally intended to direct Water in February, 2000, with a different cast that included Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das and Akshay Kumar. The day before filming was due to begin, the crew was informed that there were complications with gaining location permits. The following day, they learned that 2,000 protesters had stormed the ghats, destroying the main film set, burning and throwing it into the Ganges in protest at the film's criticism of Hindu rites.
In an attempt at compromise, Mehta reluctantly made changes to her script, but to no avail; the Indian government was inclined toward supporting the protesters because the RSS, a strong political party across the country, was attempting to show publicly the strength it had over the local government, and used Mehta as an example.
Mehta eventually gave up on making the film in India and shot the film secretly with a different cast in Sri Lanka, under the title River Moon in 2003. The film was finally completed and debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2005.
Also, Mehta was sued by writer Sunil Gangopadhyay who claimed that Mehta stole the story for the movie from his 1985 book, Sei Samaya.
Credits
Cast
| Actor/Actress | Character |
|---|---|
| Lisa Ray | Kalyani |
| Sarala | Chuyia |
| Seema Biswas | Shakuntala |
| John Abraham | Narayan |
| Manorama | Madhumati |
| Waheeda Rehman | Bhagavati |
| Kulbhushan Kharbanda | Sadananda |
| Raghuvir Yadav | Gulabi |
| Vidula Javalgekar | Patiraji |
| Vinay Pathak | Ravindra |
| Rishma Malik | Snehalata |
| Meera Biswas | Special Appearance |
| Deepa Mehta | Special Appearance |
| Richa Sharma | Special Appearance |
| Vrinda Karat | Special Appearance |
Crew
- Director: Deepa Mehta
- Screenplay: Deepa Mehta
- Story: Deepa Mehta
- Producer: David Hamilton
- Music: Mychael Danna and A. R. Rahman
- Cinematography: Giles Nuttgens
- Casting:Uma Da Cunha
- Editing: Colin Monie
- Art Direction:Pradip Redij
- Costumes: Dolly Ahluwalia
Awards
- 2006, Canada’s National Film Awards for Best Actress, Seema Biswas
- 2006, Bangkok Film Festival 2006 Award for Best Motion Picture, Water
Music
The music in the movie was composed by acclaimed music composer, A. R. Rahman and Mychael Danna. The songs were composed by A.R. Rahman whilst the background score was composed by Mychael Danna. A.R.Rahman has rated this as his only album which he would give a 10/10. The album has 20 songs in total, 16 Instrumental pieces by Mychael Danna and 4 Hindi songs composed by A.R. Rahman with lyrics by Sukhwinder Singh . The soundtrack was released by international label, Varèse Sarabande. Due to some problems with this movie in India, the Audio CD clearly states that the CD is not to be sold in India and Pakistan.Track Listing
- House Of Widows - 5:19
- Chuyia Explores - 1:42
- Where Is She? - 0:58
- Chan Chan** - 5:16
- Kaalu - 2:28
- Can't Go Home - 1:11
- Piya Ho** - 6:02
- Ladoo Dreams - 1:11
- Funeral - 0:59
- Carriage - 2:06
- Fatty - 0:52
- Naina Neer Bahai** - 4:58
- Kalyani Leaves - 2:21
- Shyam Rang Me** - 5:10
- Turn The Boat Around - 1:33
- Walk Into River - 2:55
- Chuyia Is Gone - 2:35
- Vaishnava Jana To** - 3:03
- Train - 3:28
- Across The River - 5:35
- ** Songs by A. R. Rahman
- ** Lyrics by Sukhwinder Singh
Release dates
| Region | Release Date | Distributor |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | September 8, 2005 | Mongrel Media |
| Australia | April 13, 2006 | Dendy Films |
| U.S.A | April 28, 2006 | Fox Searchlight Pictures |
| India | TBA 2006 | B.R. Films |
The film debuted on September 8, 2005 at the Toronto International Film Festival and is opened in theatres in the United States on the 28th of April, 2006. The film is distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures in the United States. Water was released in Australia on April 13, 2006. After several controversies surrounding the film in India, the Indian censor boards finally cleared the movie with a "U" certificate. The film will be released in India by renowned filmmaker, Ravi Chopra under the banner of B.R. Films sometime in 2006.
Trivia
- Bapsi Sidhwa recently released the book, Water: A Novel Based on the Film by Deepa Mehta . Sidhwa's earlier novel, Cracking India , was the basis for Earth, the second film in the trilogy.
- In the movie, the language everyone speaks is Hindi. However, 8-year-old Sarala, who played Chuyia, did not know Hindi, and therefore had to commit all her lines to memory without knowing what they meant.
Notes and References
External links
- [The official site of Water]
- [The official site of Water at Fox Searchlight Films]
- [Variety.com - Reviews - Water]
- [A trailer of Water]
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