 The return of Deepa Mehta with
'Water'
By V. Radhika/Toronto
Four years after it was dammed by Hindu fundamentalists in
India (in 2000), Deepa Mehta’s Water resumed its flow
in Sri Lanka and surged to a thunderous applause, a year later,
in her adopted home, Canada. "I wish what had happened four
years ago had not happened," said Mehta. "It affected
me very deeply. But today there is a sense of relief. The film’s
script did not change, but I changed. I honed my craft a bit
more and I feel I have made a better film."
 The politics of religion: Lisa Ray and John Abraham in
a still from the film; (right) Seema Biswas, Deepa Mehta and
Sarala at the Toronto fest
Set in 1938, against the backdrop of the freedom movement,
the story revolves round the plight of widows sequestered in an
ashram, and zooms in on three principal characters: the quiet
and reserved Shakuntala (Seema Biswas), the young and beautiful
Kalyani (Lisa Ray) and the child-widow, Chuyia (Sarala), whose
resilience and determination to fight her socially-defined ‘destiny’
as a widow awakens the dormant questions embedded in the older
inhabitants.
The film has been hailed by critics and audiences alike.
"I could not stop crying through the film. It moved me
completely," said Riki Weiland, who was in the audience.
Mehta calls her work a political trilogy, not the commonly used
elemental trilogy. "Fire was about politics of
sexuality, Earth was about politics of nationalism and Water
is about the politics of religion," she said.
While Fire earned the wrath of Shiv Sainiks for its
portrayal of a lesbian relationship, Water was submerged
in a deluge of vandalism even before the shooting began.
The controversy surrounding the film delayed its shooting by
almost five years, but it also helped create a buzz around it.
Archival pictures of the protesters burning effigies of Mehta in
Varanasi were published along with her interviews. Writer Salman
Rushdie praised the film for "unforgettably touching the
heart" and the media lauded her for not surrendering
"her soul" to the fundamentalists. "It is a
miracle to see Water on the big screen and I am thrilled
that it is screening first in Toronto, a city I love," said
the Toronto-based director to the audience, minutes before the
film opened the 30th Toronto International Film Festival.
The film has had a long and tortuous trajectory. Five years
ago, Mehta attempted to shoot the concluding part of her trilogy
on the banks of Varanasi with Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das as
her lead actors. But assaults at the sets and death threats
forced Mehta to cancel the shoot. She returned to Canada and
made two films, Bollywood/Hollywood and Republic of
Love, before charting Water’s course again.
Only this time, she shot in Sri Lanka and with different
actors—a choice, Mehta says, she was forced to make, because
of changed circumstances. Probably, it was also to avoid the
spotlight that would have ensued, had she repeated her cast.
Seema Biswas stepped into Shabana’s shoes while Lisa Ray
replaced Nandita Das. And for the role of an idealist lawyer,
she chose John Abraham, "because he has a sensitive
face." John sheds his sexy and macho image in this movie
for an unglamorous, dhoti-kurta clad idealist.
Though permission to shoot in Sri Lanka was obtained almost
two and a half years ago, filming began in 2004, almost
secretly. Producer David Hamilton said every attempt was made at
‘deliberate misinformation’ and an anti-publicist was hired
to keep the film below the radar.
"The nucleus of Water is the conflict between our
faith and conscience," said Mehta, and this is borne out
best by Shakuntala, a quiet, middle-aged widow. Seema Biswas,
who has given a riveting performance as Shakuntala, said:
"She [Mehta] gave us time and freedom to get under the
character." The film has a bleak and sombre look, but that
does not take away its anti-establishment punch. The story is a
necklace that strings politics, religion, spirituality and women’s
status together.
Water ends on an optimistic note, with the child-widow
stepping out of the ashram, but only after she has been sexually
abused. The child being raped by an old man is portrayed with
numbing iciness. Fielding criticism that widows are not so much
discriminated against, Mehta said, "All you have to do is
go to Brindavan and Banaras to see what is their plight."
But the exceedingly slow pace at places makes you yawn and when
it comes to performances, the screen belongs to Biswas, Raghubir
Yadav (who essays the role of a eunuch) and debutante Sarala.
Abraham is passable while Lisa Ray fails to portray the anguish
and turmoil of a young, beautiful, rebellious widow, who is
forced into prostitution.
Water’s real heroine is Sarala, an 8-year-old from Sri
Lanka, who carries the film effortlessly on her shoulders. Her
inability to speak Hindi or English was not a deterrent.
"Making Water was like giving birth to a child. I
have fulfilled my role as a mother. Now the child will find its
destiny," said Mehta.
At this point, Water’s destiny does look good. The
film has been acquired by Fox Searchlight, which will release it
in the USA next month. The film is expected to have an
international release in November, and Mehta hopes it will be
released in India, too.
Mehta’s daughter Devyani Saltzman has written a book on the
making of Water titled, Shooting Water: A
Mother-Daughter Journey & the Making of a Film, which
will be released across Canada, on October 1. Meanwhile, Mehta
has started work on her next project: a film based on the 1914
Komagata Maru incident where a ship carrying Sikhs from India
was refused entry at Vancouver and many of its passengers were
killed by the police, on their return to India.
Making Water was like giving birth to a child. I
have fulfilled my role as a mother.
Deepa Mehta, director
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