Water (2005) – Directed by Deepa Mehta
Music – A.R.Rehman
Actors: Seema Biswas, John Abraham, Lisa Ray, Sarala, Manorama, Kulbhushan Kharbanda
I was introduced to the Laws of Manu in one of the classes that I HAD to take. So the ‘Manava Dharma-Shastra’ was amongst the “Great Books of India” that we had to get familiar with. There is no doubting the fact that it is one great book, but it has some very debatable laws in it. The context is, of course, very important. It was in 1500 B.C. that the laws were prescribed and they have to do with the period in question. The problem lies here – we are still blindly following those rules, attributing them to the Holy Scriptures and considering them a way to attain salvation.
For more on the text of Manu, you may want to visit the following website - https://sacred-texts.com/hin/manu/manu09.htm
I’ll quote one such law that amused and baffled me - “Day and night woman must be kept in dependence by the males of her family. Her father protects her in childhood, her husband protects her in youth, and her sons protect her in old age; a woman is never fit for independence.”
The oppressed state of women in India is an issue that requires concern. According to the census of 2001, there are about 34 million widows in India and most of them still live in a state of social, economic and cultural deprecation as prescribed by the Sacred Texts of Manu 2000 years ago.
Water is set in 1938 – the pre-independence era – in a small village along the banks of the holy Ganga. Ganga is quite important to the theme of the movie because it is on its ghats where a lot of the movie is shot – insignificant, yet they add to the overall theme of the movie. This is a Deepa Mehta flick – written and directed by her.
The movie begins when a eight-year-old girl is told that she is now a widow (even though she doesn’t remember her husband). Her head is shaved, she is made to drape a white sari around herself and then she is left at an asylum where widows live together. The child cries and throws a tantrum but she is taken away. The woman-in-charge at the widow house is a fat, seventy-year old cranky hag and she tells her that they are sisters in grief. It seems just so unnatural that a little kid is made to also follow these rituals.
This young girl is called Chuhiya (played by Sarala). She is a naughty, hotheaded girl and creates uproar in the house. There are many other women, of all ages and sizes…similarly clad and equally deprived.
Among these women are Shakuntala (Seema Biswas) and Kalyani (Lisa Ray). Shakuntala is the middle-aged, tough yet sensitive woman who helps and protects Chuhiya. Kalyani is the beautiful, young, long-haired(though against the rules) widow who is more like an elder sister to her. Chuhiya always dreams of going back home to her mother and is quite adamant about it. Kalyani, too, has dreams of her own. She dreams of getting out of the rut and getting married. Then Narayan (John Abraham) comes into the picture and they meet somewhere on the ghats. He falls for her and befriends Chuhiya. Kalyani’s dreams are now turned into hope.
Shakuntala asks the local priest if there are any options for widows. He tells her that there are only three ways out – 1. A widow can choose to burn with her husband on the pyre (sati). 2. She can spend a life like hers, in renunciation and give herself up for God; and 3. She can marry her brother-in-law, if the family permits. He also says that there is a law that permits widow re-marriage but we do not acknowledge it. We only abide by those laws that serve a purpose or those that help us maintain the status quo, else we simply ignore them.
In the backdrop, there is mention of Gandhi and his work for the upliftment of women (remember it is 1938 and there is enough turmoil as it is, owing to the colonial rule). Our hero, John Abraham also keeps mentioning Gandhi and wants to marry the beautiful widow. There are instances in the widow house that make you pity the plight of the women. There is an old one who craves for sweets (laddoo and mithai) and even in her sleeps she mutters about it. Chuhiya steals a piece for this woman and gives it to her. Later the woman dies and Chuhiya confesses to Shaktuntala about it. Shakuntala reassures the little girl that despite it, the woman will go to heaven (eating sweets and indulging in pleasures is considered a sin for widows). Shaktuntala further adds that she hopes the woman is reborn as a man so that she can eat as much sweet as she likes. Among other instances that take place, the one that requires a mention is that Kalyani is often sent to the local seths (rich and middle-class landlords) across the river for one-night stands to earn money. Among the seths, she has also been to Narayan’s father.
What happens in the end? Does Kalyani marry Narayan? What happens to Chuhiya? Does the 8 year old go back home? Or does she escape from the widow house?
For these answers – watch the movie.
My Thoughts –
Firstly, the acting was mediocre. The only good performances were of Seema Biswas, Sarala and Manaorama. Sarala as the young Chuhiya is endearing and Seema Biswas is just right in her role. She hardly has any dialogues, but she talks with her silence. John Abraham was unconvincing in a dhoti and round-rimmed glasses. To me he still looked hot - more like a model, rather than a guy from the 1930s. Lisa Ray too, had not much to do – she was just a bimbette, speaking softly and hardly sounding illiterate.
The way the main character was dealt with was very similar to the way Chokher Bali was made. In Chokher Bali we had Aishwarya Rai, doing the same stuff Lisa Ray attempted. However, Chokher Bali is a more complex and a far more refined performance.
Secondly, Deepa Mehta fails as a writer. Her direction, though, is not bad. The story could have been layered and the execution should have been crisper. The sets are quite authentic and manage to take you back in time.
The music rendered by A.R. Rehman is definitely a plus point as it gives the movie the right feel. The background score is very appropriate – makes the dullness fade away at times and at others, it lends a sting to the sadness.
Finally, the movie is lacking in appeal. It doesn’t manage to stir you up, except in the end. For the end, I will give the credit to Seema Biswas – she emotes beautifully. The movie is slow and monotonous, but it has a good message and addresses an important social issue.
The cynic in me awakes again and I question :
You bathe in the Ganga, you read the Scriptures and you follow the rules, yet you are not ’enlightened’. Of what use is this Water?