Writer and Director: Deepa Mehta
Starring: Seema Biswas as Shakuntala, Lisa Roy as Kalyani,
John Abraham as Narayan, Manorama as Madhumati, Sarala Kariyawasam as Chuiya
and Raghuvir Yadav as Gulabi.
Running Time: 114 minutes
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Overview
Water, in general, is a story about Indian widows who are
forced to enter “widow houses” by their own families to relieve themselves of
financial and emotional burdens, where they struggle to survive by begging and
often turn to prostitution.
Set in 1938 in British-ruled India, a time when Mahatma
Gandhi and the anti-colonial movement are on the rise, the film shows the
plight of a group of fifteen widows who live in the holy city of Veranasi, near
the holy river - Ganges. The main aim of the film seems
to portray the social, religious and economic situations of India in 1930s and
try to find out reasons behind the nastiest situation of widows in India.
Story and the Characters
The film revolves around three women. Two of them, Chuiya
and Kalyani are full of life and also the youngest of the widows living in the
house. They want to break-free from the state of widowhood and live a life of
their own choice. Chuiya is an innocent seven year old girl who is unaware
about social and religious norms of the society and thus fears nothing. She has
innocent questions to ask which are very hard to answer even to a religion as
old as Hinduism. Her one-linear like, “A widow feels pain because she is half
alive.”, “Where do men widows live?” are powerful enough to show the disparity
between men and women that Hinduism provisions. Similarly, Kalyani is a pretty
woman who has been lured into prostitution by Madhumati, the chief of widow
house. Madhumati is a corrupt old widow who smokes marijuana provided by the
eunuch and local pimp Gulabi. It is Gulabi who updates Madhumati about the
recent happenings around the city and also helps her in prostituting Kalyani by
finding out the local Brahmins or high-caste elites. The third woman
Shakuntala, is a devout Hindu who is caught in between her religious faith and her human cravings. She is
the one who is attached to Chuyia, because she sees herself reflected in
Chuyia; and strives to give Chuyia what she had lacked.
The film starts off with Chuiya's husband's death, and her
disposal to widow house. The story moves on with Narayan, a follower of Gandhi,
falling in love with Kalyani despite of her being a widow. But, Kalyani’s
suicide after knowing that Narayan’s father is one of the men she has slept
with, takes Narayan back to Gandhi, and in the end we see Shakuntala handing
over Chuyia to Narayan. In the last scene of the movie, the train departs
leaving teary eyed Shakuntala behind, taking Chuyia into a brighter future.
Interpretation
Reasons
for setting the movie in 1930s
There
seems to be two key reasons for setting the story of the film in 1930s not in
2005 - the time when the film was made. The first reason is to let compare the
audience the situation of widows in India between 1930s and present time, which
is almost similar. With this the film has questioned the notion of ‘21st
century world’ where the activists working in the field of women rights assume
that the condition of women at present has changed a lot in comparison to past
century. Another reason for setting the film in 1930s is to indirectly show
that even the reformer like Mahatma Gandhi have not been able to persuade people to change their
perception towards women in general and widowhood in particular.
Also, in showing the hardships that the widows are forced
into, the film Water has focussed on social, religious and economic
reasons behind.
Economic reasons
Water has powerfully pointed out some of the
underlying economic factors behind the dispossession of widows by their own
families. Through Narayan, the film explains that simply to reduce one mouth to
feed and save four saris per year, widows are disposed in widow house. And
while the treatment of widows is disguised as religion, Narayan concludes, “It’s
all about money.” These few sentences illuminate the situation in an extremely
powerful manner.
Religious reasons
It was due to religious contents in the film, shooting of Water
was halted by Shiva Sena, back in 2000 AD. Shiva Sena, an organization
working under Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), burnt down the sets of the film fearing
that Water would portray India and her customs in poor light to the
West. Finally, the shooting of the film was done in Sir Lanka.
Yes, the film has a lot religious content and has
mercilessly attacked negative aspects of the religion. By showing the Auntie’s
clinging for ladoo even after she reaches the final years of her life, the film
is questioning the state of bairagya (detachment from worldly desires), for
which the religion orders widows to live a life of a hermit.
While the film has predominantly accused religion for the
main reason behind the horrible situation of widows, it also shows even
religion is adapting to the need of changing times. In his conversation with Shakuntala,
Baba (the priest in the 'ghats,' or steps, leading down to the Ganges) based on
holy texts, explains that a widow has three options: (1) to throw herself on
her husband's funeral pyre, (2) to marry his brother (if he has one and it is
permitted by the family), or (3) to live in poverty in a group home for widows.
But he is quick to add that the time is changing and there is a law that
favours widow remarriage. Unlike many other religious servants,
he was pro-active in understanding the importance of Gandhi as he tells
Shakuntala: "Gandhiji is one of the few in the world who listens to his
voice of conscience".
Social reasons
The
film has identified patriarchy as the main social reason behind the dreadful
condition of widows. Upon the death of Auntie, remark by a widow, "God
willing, she'll be reborn as a man!" shows the amount of importance contemporary
society had placed on being a man. Similarly, in showing that the worst enemies
of the widows are the widows themselves, the film shows patriarchy as an agency
camouflaged in it. Also, the misuse of religion by men of the so-called high
class Brahmins and elites to keep the illiterates and poor frightened in the
name of god but they themselves exploiting even the ‘worthless’ widows shows
the patriarchy’s role in the continued torture that widow are forced into.
While
showing the social reasons behind the plight of the widow, the film also
highlights the positively changing social scenario around India. The message of
changing social conditions of India has been portrayed through Mahatma Gandhi
and his follower Narayan.
Lackings
There is very little to complain about the story and the way
it has been told. Deepa Mehta has done a brilliant job. But when it comes to
casting, though the role played by Seema Biswas as Shakuntala, Manorama as
Madhumati, Sarala Kariyawasam as Chuiya and Raghuvir Yadav as Gulabi are
brilliant match, the film has failed especially in identifying actors for the role
of Narayan and Kanyani. Lisa Ray as Kalyani, a former model, is far too elegant
as a member of a poverty-stricken widow house and a prostitute. John Abrahm as
Narayan, one of Bollywood’s fashionable hero lacks the appeal of a conscious
political figure. At times he looks like a model dressed in dhoti and kurta for
a photo session.
Conclusion
Water is a movie primarily aimed to depict the social and
religious picture of India in reference to widows. It has, without mercy,
attached the bad practices of the religion and has also not failed to adore the
changing social and religious scenario in India.
Important of all, the movie still has its relevance besides
being a story of 1930s because the condition of widows in India is at present
almost similar to that of 1938 if not exactly the same. It is shocking to know
that widow houses are still operating in Veranasi.
