Water: A Triumph

Water, released in 2005, was the most critically successful of the elements Trilogy films made by Deepa Mehta. After the success of Fire (1996) and Earth (1998), Deepa Mehta

uncovers yet another controversial issue from the history of Indian Subcontinent.  Water is based on a compelling novel written by Bapsi Sidhwa. Though it is a work of fiction, Water paints a very real picture of several issues faced by women in India in 1938. It demonstrates why Gandhi started a revolution against misogyny, child marriage, suicide and the mistreatment of women as a part of India’s struggle for independence. The storyline may be based on fictional characters but the direction makes them come to life.

Deepa Mehta begins the movie by citing the laws of Manu, written in Ancient Indian scripture “Dharmashastra” that used to be the deciding factor of an Indian woman’s fate. The text informs the audience of a belief system. “A widow should be long suffering until death, self-restrained and chaste. A virtuous wife who remains chaste when her husband has died goes to heaven. A woman who is unfaithful to her husband is reborn in the womb of a jackal.” The text is borrowed from real life elements and sets the stage for what to expect in the next 114 minutes.

Deepa Mehta brings the audience into the world of unfortunate widows who happen to lose their husbands before India’s Independence. Chuhiya(Sarla), a seven year old child is forced to live in an Ashram with house full of widows after her husband dies a natural death due to old age. Based on the ancient customs of widowhood among Hindus, her head is shaved. Chuhiya is forced to wear white sari for the rest of her life simply as a consequence of being a widow. The audience is given the eyes and ears of Chuhiya who encounters a mixed group of widows at the Ashram. Madhumati (Manorama), the perceived head of the ashram who exploits other women and pimps the young widow Kalyani (Lisa Ray) to the higher caste rich men.

Kalyani is the beautiful young widow who befriends Chuhiya. Ironically, she is sent to work by crossing the Ganges. Narayan (John Abraham) is a follower of Gandhi who falls in love with Kalyani, regardless of her status as a widow. Shakuntla (Seema Biswas) is another enigmatic character who occasionally opposes the tyranny of Madhumati and is mostly quiet and composed until the very end of the movie.

Throughout the movie, Deepa Mehta demonstrates the cruelty of Hinduism against widows. Chuhiya is the character used to ask all the right questions, “When will I go back to my home? Where do the widow men live?” Water shows the cruelty of the Hindu religion but it is very clear that criticizing the entire religion is not the purpose. Deepa Mehta unleashes one of the skeletons out of Hinduism closet with a hope to help improve the quality of the religion.  Deepa Mehta is asks the right questions same as Gandhi, to scrutinize and condemn those unwanted traditions that go on till date.

The advocates of Hindu religion were highly offended by the making of Water. Hence it took five long years for the movie to be finally released in 2005. Even though Water touches a very controversial topic, the originality is brilliant. The screenplay is concise and crisp. The dialogue between Kalyani and Narayan humanizes the widow and gives glimpses of hope for future. The touch of Monsoon rainy season along with the dark backgrounds makes the sets believable. A. R. Rehman adds depth to the movie by soft instrumentals and soulful lyrics. A movie as critical as Water, always runs a chance of being preachy but in this case it simply reveals issues and indicates solutions.

Lisa Ray as Kalyani looks gorgeous without any makeup. Her natural beauty makes the character appear real. It is also a relief to see the Macho man John Abraham doing some real work for the society than make millions posing half nude. He manages to overcome his runway model image by perfect dialogue delivery and serious performance. Sarla, who plays the role of Chuhiya, is cute, energetic, and paints a very sympathetic and realistic image of the character. Given the fact that girl can not speak a word of Hindi language and all the lines were memorized, she has done a great job performing as a Hindi speaking actor.

The only issue Water encounters is to keep the audience entertained for two hours, because the theme is more educational than entertaining. Without the right expectations, the audience might feel mentally exhausted with lengthy narration of sad and demeaning life of women in India. Although it would be safe to say the time is used well to paint a perfect picture.

Water has won several awards including Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It is a perfect conclusion to bold and unapologetic series of films collectively seen as elements Trilogy. The sense of reality in the movie might leave the audience a bit depressed at the end but it is certainly worth their time to help eliminate the darkness of ignorance. It is a reassurance and clear depiction how beautiful our lives are that we do not have to witness such stories anymore.