When a father says "YOU ARE A WIDOW NOW", the girl replies "TILL WHEN ?" ! Another old aged widow’s last wish is to have one last piece of MOTICHUR KE LADDU and some JALEBIs. One widow can’t come near a marriage MANDAP. another widow is sent to THAKUR and MAHARAJAs in the nights so that the money keeps coming in to run the ASHRAM. The helplessness of widows is adeptly captured in WATER. And thats what it makes it a class apart.
Keeping expectations from the final series of DEEPA MEHTA’s trilogy is obvious. And the director lives up to the expectations. **The evils of indian traditions are best nailed down in WATER. ** MEHTA steers clear of any sort of flaws as she narrates the plight of widows with a backdrop of the pre-independence era. Even the contradicting opinions of two young people about GANDHI JI is in snyc with the theme of the story. Be it the imagery when the OLD WIDOW remembers the day of her marriage or the moment when JOHN and LISA are standing aside the GHATS in the honey-dipped moonlight, ** the visuals are striking, thanx to the exquisite camera work.
*However, the love story that took place between JOHN and LISA was way too incredulous. It was executed in a very very filmi manner. it seemed as if DEEPA MEHTA had seen all the YASH CHOPRA films a night before she shot those scenes.**LISA RAY **proved she can look astonishing even in a sackcloth [ literally ]. Little to say about her acting skills though. To all the **JOHN ABRAHAM** fans if you are expecting any hardcore emphasis on him, forget it. He has proved yet again he can’t act, even with guidance from **DEEPA MEHTA. He was just passable.****SEEMA BISWAS **in the central character simply steals the show. and keep my words, the subtlety with which she smiled in the movie was a never-seen-before experience. the little girl was nice.
Be it **RAGHUVEER YADAV **or **VINAY PATHAK**, the supporting cameos made their presence felt too. WATER is a great cinematic experience. it is realistic, sensible, and gripping. however, whether it really deserved to be in the final 5 at the oscars is an different thing altogether. Because, to be candid and logical, it is better if we stop analysing our films by the standards of its performance at the OSCARS. **hindi cinema follows different set of rules. So, interpreting it by the HOLLYWOOD standards would really be unfair.**Never-the-less, WATER is a must watch, who can bear some seriosness [ read it as non-entertainment ] for the sake of the holy art of CINEMA with a message.final rating - ****1/2cheersharsh