Actors - Sarala, Seema Biswas, Manorama, John Abraham, Lisa Ray & Others
Not yet in her teens, Chuyia is married to a much older and sickly male, who passes shortly after the marriage. Chuyia is returned unceremoniously to her parents' house, and from there she is taken to the holy city of Banaras and left in a "the widows' house," shunned by the rest of the community and her family. Chuyia believes that her mother will come to take her home. In the widow house, she meets several elderly women, including the head of the house, Madhumati but a quiet, confident woman named Shakuntala becomes her friend. Chuyia is tender & innocent enough to know about the fate of widows prescribed in Holy Hindu Scriptures. The Ashram is a poor place, self-supported by the proceeds of begging and prostitution, Kalyani (Lisa Ray) the Ashram's "jewel", the sole breadwinner of ashram through prostitution becomes involved with a young political activist Narayana (John Abraham), a supporter of Gandhi, who wants to marry her, despite his mother's protests.
But on the day of her fleeing from ashram, Kalyani recognizes Narayan’s house, the very same house she had been forced to visit as a "prostitute," to be with Narayan's father. The question remains, can Kalyani marry the man she loves? Will he want to marry her when he knows what has passed between her and his father? And is Chuyia really destined to live the rest of her life as a widow among shunned widows?
As explained in the movie, according to ancient texts a Hindu widow had three choices; she could join her husband on the funeral pyre, she could marry his younger brother (if available) or she could go into an Ashram (refuge) with other widows and live a life of self-denial to atone for the sin of having lost her husband. Chuyia however is only nine years old and scarcely remembers getting married. It is the third option that Chuyia (Sarala) takes on the death of her husband in 1938.
This is a beautiful and poignant movie quite packed with punch; the sorry plight of Hindu widows in traditional Indian society is made evident. WATER is delivered likened to a fable, yet the story told is not at all a fantasy. The movie is not preachy; in fact, it's dramatic with mystery and secrets, not depressive in spite of the storyline but contains dashes of hope, laughter and tender moments. The movie touches the very delicate subject matter, but it's done with much taste. WATER is an important film that through its overwhelming beauty and lush setting expresses the casual horror of religious abuse -- a cry against this ultimately inhumane system. Yet, there is a light side to it - the message of Gandhi, and the promise of renewal of spirit. We are constantly reminded of Gandhi's teachings. Instead, Gandhi is almost an absent narrator - his voice is only heard for a brief instant near the end of the film - instead we hear his opinions through the voice of Narayan.
John Abraham is perfect as Narayan, with his handsome looks. Seema Biswas is effective as the only woman who is kind to the young Chuyia. Raghubir Yadav as the eunuch is as dependable as always. If you don't have a keen eye, perhaps you won't recognize Manorama, the vamp of yesteryear films, who makes her return with this film. Her body language, dialect and vicious command as the madam of the house are outstanding. And last but not the least is the child actress Sarla. If you thought Ayesha Kapoor of Black was the best child artist you ever witnessed on screen, check Sarla and you will know how naturally she seeps into the character of Chuyia. The young girl almost lives her part without any inhibitions or ambiguity, whatsoever. The best thing in the film is Chuyia. We respond to her plight because to our way of thinking it's inconceivable to subject a young girl to be banished from her family in the way this girl does.
Mehta knows how to tell her story well and is supported by a strong cast and a fine production crew: the cinematography by Giles Nuttgens is incandescently moody and gloriously beautiful and the original music by Mychael Danna and A.R. Rahman blends Indian songs with Western orchestral writing in a perfect union that works well with the story. Add to it Anurag Kashyup's chaste Hindi dialogues that enriches the feel of the film. The art direction of the film with the setting of the 40s is simply impeccable. This is one of those films that not only stand alone as a strikingly beautiful creation, but it is also a film that informs us about other cultural patterns about which most of us are ignorant. It is a masterpiece on every level, with the other two parts of Mehta's trilogy - Fire and Earth.
The well-etched script and strongly defined characters makes you live every scene, every moment in the film. We feel remorse for a 90-year-old widow (played by Vidula Javalgekar) in the film who craves for sweets throughout the film and the last time she remembers she had had them was during her marriage at the age of 7. A highpoint of the film is its climax. The movie has a good culmination to the plot with a connection to Mahatma Gandhi.
Deepa Mehta shows again she is not afraid to explore any subjects that are deemed taboo in her culture. Her direction is of Avant-Garde and through vivid colors & gorgeously authentic scenery, she captures Indian culture without any flaw whatsoever. WATER is her masterpiece of writing and directing, creating a film of such extraordinary beauty and sensitivity despite all plots to keep her from turning her 'anti-Hindu' story into a movie for public consumption. The story is simple yet profound. At film's end there is a sense of hope for the widows as introduced by the rise of Gandhi and his philosophy and the film's closing is immensely touching.
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