Water
Director : Deepa Mehta
Producer : Devid Hamilton
Cinematography : Giles Nuttgens
Music : Mycheal Danna , A.R Rahman (hindi songs)
Lyrics : Sukhwinder Singh
Release Date : November 2005
Cast:
Chuyia : Sarala
Kalyani : Lisa Ray
Shakuntala : Seema Biswas
Madhumati : Monorama
Gualabi : Raghuvir Yadab
Rabindra : Vinay Pathak
Sadananda : Kulbhushan Kharbanda and others................
Story had started with Little girl Chuyia. After her husband’s death, she had been sent to a widow ’Ashram’ with saved head and white cloth. Though at very little age, she couldn’t remember her marriage, her family left Chuyia with her fate. It touched our heart when she told solemnly “NO” as a reply of her father’s question “ yead hai betiya tumara sadhi huyatha?” It was the story of 1938. Pre- independent era, when widows had been treated like burden of family. After husband’s death they had three choice according to ’Hindu Law’, burned with husband, marry to husband’s younger brother or accept the painful life in ’Ashram’.The so called ’Ashram’ forced them to accept some unwritten laws like avoid such extravagances as fried food, keep there shadow away from falling on a bride. They had to beg coins for their one day food and future funeral. Little girl Chuihya had to accept this ridiculous life under villainous Madhumati’s dictatorship in ’Ashram’. There she meet sympathetic slightly pragmatic Shakuntala and amiable angle like Kalyani. Kalyani had been sent to prostitution for the ration of the Ashram’s inhabitants. Incidentally Chuihya and Kalyani meet with Gandhi follower, law student young and handsome Narayan. Narayan fall in love with Kalyani and wanted to marry. Would Kalyani marry to Narayan? Would Shakuntala bring revolution in widows life? Would little Chuyia had to spend her whole life in that nasty ’Ashram’? Want to know all these answer? You have to watch the movie, because I’m not a story teller. As a reviewer I want to point out some significant facts.
After the immanence success of ’Fire’ and ’1947 Earth’ Deepa Mehata choose a outstanding subject for WATER. Closing title card showed according to 2001 Indian Census, some 34 million widows still in India. Most probably they are still neglected from their family and our society. So why our director choose story on the perspective of pre independent era? Past history doesn’t effect our mind and emotion as much as present. If the title card is true then Ms. Meheta can touch our heart more effectively with her positive thoughts on some present scenario.
WATER started with high speech. But the last part was going downhill. Clandestine romance of Narayan and Kalyani , arrival of Gandhi in a railway station make the movie uninteresting.
Long haired angle like Kalyani among the unhaired widows in the asharam was completely mismatch.Kunti and Shakuntala were not so older and didn’t have lost their libido, then why Kalyani had to go for prostitution only? It is clear in the movie that she didn’t go for her sexual desire or accepted it by heart. Then why she didn’t protest? Shakuntala had a kind heart. She was sympathetic with Kalyani also. Then why she was silent?
Narayan was a modern young fellow. Follower of great Mahatma Gandhi. His conversation with Kalyani wasn’t much provocative. It was so ordinary and not considerable as influential as moderator.
Seema Biswas was brilliant. She has done her job as much as she had to do. John Abraham approached like a male model or action movie star more than a pre-independent Gandhi follower. Monorama as villainous Madhumati, Raghuveer Yadav as a eunuch prostitution broker Gulabi, Vinay Pathak as Narayan’s friend Rabindra and others have done well. But the little girl Sarala has performed inventively. Her performance was remarkable, natural and outstanding. Here only we can say, ”you have the right choice baby.”
Plyback music was so-so, but the Hindi songs weren’t desirable for this movie.
WATER doesn’t blaze like ’fire’, its not stable like (1947)Earth, it can make wave. We have to drive on by the tide of realistic and unrealistic facts, Ms. Meheta has haphazardly harmonized.