Deepa Mehta: Water (2005)

WATER (2005) 

CONSCIENCE, FAITH OR LIBERATION?

Water is the final film in Deepa Mehta’s Elements trilogy. It was preceded by Fire (1996) and Earth (1998). Released in 2005, Water is set in the holy city of Varanasi (Banaras), 1938, pre-Independence India. Amidst the rise of the Mahatma, the growing love for the Colonisers’ whisky, and the support of the Indian Upper-class, Water depicts the horrific reality of having to live a life of deprivation.

The obsessive need to curb women’s autonomy has been legitimized and sold in the name of “faith” by the Indian society for way too long, leading to women, not only internalizing the chauvinistic ideas but also believing them to be the truth of their fate. Hinduism, in all its glory, has endorsed and complied with the paternalistic laws given by Manu in his ancient text that is often regarded as the rulebook amongst the Dharmashastras.

“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 Laws of Manu, Dharmashastras.

The story begins at the sight of an eight-year-old child, Chuiya (played by Sarala Kariyawasam) whose husband has suddenly died and she’s forced to go live in the Ashram, on the banks of river Ganga, with other Hindu widows. These widows, women of all ages, with their shaven heads and white sarees, beg to sustain themselves and live a life in seclusion and renunciation, engrossed in prayers, chants, and holy hymns to free them of their sins and expiate bad karma. Among these fourteen women imprisoned in the Ashram, living a joyless life owed to their “fate”, a young, beautiful widow named Kalyani (played by Lisa Ray) is pushed into prostitution by the domineering older widow, to help run the Ashram. Kalyani is full of hope and optimism when she meets a young man named Narayan (played by John Abraham) who is a handsome idealistic law student inspired by the Mahatma. He was an ardent believer of Gandhi’s civil disobedience and his ideals of emancipating the oppressed classes, including the widows. Kalyani is surprised at the idea of a man like Narayan loving and respecting her, a shunned widow.

As the story develops, Chuiya’s arrival at the ashram causes a lot of commotion, her youthful and rebellious spirit couldn’t be controlled by the religious laws and texts. Shakuntala (played by Seema Biswas) is the one widow who could get through to Chuiya, she’s a devout Hindu, who has worked for Pandit Sadananda (played by Kulbhushan Kharbanda), who claims that her deeds would lead her to eternal Salvation (moksha). Shakuntala is one of the most rational and reasonable women at the ashram, even though she conforms to all the religious norms, her conscience often stands between the sight of ill-treatment of widows in the name of faith and her god-fearing spirit. As the love between Kalyani and Narayan develops parallelly, Shakuntala is thrown in for a crisis of faith. She becomes close to Chuiya and is the only one who cares about her, she asks Chuiya “Main kaisi dikhti hun? (How do I look?), to which she abruptly replies, “Buddhi” (Old). The realization and yearning for lost youth hit Shakuntala, she sits there quietly. Seema Biswas has captured the emotion of loss and deprivation flawlessly, she realizes that she’s no longer the young girl with dreams or someone to love. The scene is beautifully captured by Mehta. Shakuntala plays a pivotal role in making sure Kalyani doesn’t lose out on Narayan’s love. Narayan’s mother, an Upper Caste/Class Hindu woman (played by Waheeda Rehman) is baffled when she learns about Narayan’s decision to marry Kalyani. A mother’s discomfort and disapproval at such a “bizarre” match are aptly depicted in Water. Narayan’s intentions were firm even when faced with his parents’ disapproval, Kalyani on the other hand, had lived her life in isolation, accepting her fate and living at the mercy of others. Even Narayan’s idealism couldn’t convince her that she deserved a second chance at life, to live fully and love deeply.

Their story meets a tragic end.