Water was screened in my college a week ago for Journalism and Public Relations batch. Definately there was a buzz among us as to what was so controversial in the movie that Deepa mehta was not even let to shoot in India, despite the movie being about indian culture.
Personally I like Deepa Mehta’s movie as they are always very straight forward and presents the true picture of our society, whether it being Earth or Fire. But this time Deepa Mehta failed. Somehoe she just lost the essence of the movie. Let me give you a brief on the movie and then you will be able to make out where she failed.
CAST AND CREW
Director- Deepa Mehta
Producer- David Hamilton
Executive Producer- Ajay Virmani, Mark Burton, Douglas Mankoff
Editor- Colin
Photography Director- Giles Nuttgens
Art Director- Sumant Jayakrishnan
Song Composer- A.R.Rehman
Lyrics- Sukhwinder Singh
Music- Mychael Danna
Seema Biswas as Shakuntala
Lisa Ray as Kalyani
John Abraham as Narayana
Sarala as Chuhiya
Raghuveer Yadav as Gulabi
Vinay Pathak as Rabindra
Waheeda Rehman as Narayan’s Mother
Kulbhushan Karbhanda as Sadananda
The movie tells the story of a young girl, chuhiya, who at the age of eight is widowed. Now as the movie is set in 1930’s colonial India, that time widows were supposed to spent the rest of their lives in an ashram and their heads were shaved off. Following the norms of the time, chuhiya is sent to an ashram by her father. There she meets Kalyani(Lisa Ray) and Shakuntala(Seema Biswas), both of who soon develop a soft-corner for her. While Shakuntala is shown to be religiously inclined, doing all the’seva’ of Guruji Sadananda(Kulbhushan) and performing all the duties that a widow is supposed to fullfill, Kalyani is a bread-winner of the ashram. She is the only one in the ashram who is allowed to keep long hair so to attract customers. Her character is portrayed as religious, simple and mischievious.
Soon the whole ashram starts getting affected by chuhiya’s fiesty in one way or the other. Kalyani finds a true friend in her despite the vast age difference between them. She starts trusting her so much that when she decides to marry Narayan(John Abraham), a young upper class Gandhian Idealist, Chuhiya is the first person to whom she opens her heart to. But then how can one widow let other widow be happily married ever after. So the lady who heads the ashram and also the one who supplies widows for trade shaves off Kalyani’s head and locks her up.
Meanwhile Shakutala comes to know that there has been an act passed for widow re-marriage and her heart changes. She lets kalyani go to Narayan despite protest from ashram mates. Kalyani is accepted by Narayan and he decides to introduce her to his parents and then Kalyani gets a shock of her life as she comes to know that her would be father-in-law was none other than one of her regular customer. When John comes to know of it, he feels disgusted and still wants to accept kalyani as he feels its not at all her fault. Narayan goes back to ashram to take Kalyani but by that time Kalyani commits suicide. The ashram scenario changes now that kalyani is dead there is no one to take her place of being a bread winner.
The ashram head again applies her dirty brain and sends off chuhiya through Gulabi(a mediator between the client and the ashram head). By the time Shakuntala comes to know of it, its already too late but then she decides to set the child free and takes her away from the ashram. As she had heard that Gandhiji stands for widow re-marriage and cares for them so she attends the mass at a raiway station that was being addressed by Gandhiji. Narayan, being a Gandhian idealist was also there and was leaving the city with many of Gandhiji’s followers so Shakuntala, seeing chuhiyas safe future there, passes her in Narayan’s safe hands. Thats where the story ends!
Its was definately a very good story but as I had said earlier that I liked Deepa Mehta’s movie due to its real touch, I didn’t find any here guyz. Somehow the movie nowhere showed the pitiful condition of Indian widows. Throughout the movie I didn’t get a single chance to say’outrageous’ or’disgusting’ or any other related words! Yes Chuhiya was mindblowing.What a great actor that little chils is! I came to know that she is a Sri-lankan girl and among thousands of little ones who came for auditions, it was Sarala who caught Deepa’s attention.
In fact the whole casting was appropriate but it was just the story that was not intriguing enough. Deepa could have easily left an impact on the audience if she had really presented the true picture of their condition. I think after so much protest in India she bacame little laidback and relaxed with the story. But never mind I think its still a one time see types. Maybe some people will find even that to be disgusting and would feel sorry enough for the widows but the ones who have seen other real movies based on the subject would really won’t call WATER a realistic cinema.
Everything else is good so still I would ask all MS member to go for it once n then decide it for yourself!
LOVE,
NEERU!