Water reVu !!!
// March 31st, 2007 // No Comments » // MOVIE
Well…posting a review of Water ..this review was done by one of my friend called AJ (no..not the Backstreet Boys Guy!!!…but close!!!)…its a really neat review …here goes…
Water- a review:
Water, the third part of Deepa Mehta’s elements series and Canada’s foreign film entry to the Oscars, is a story set amidst the widows of Benares. The film, which was supposed to be shot in Benares itself about seven years ago faced much criticism, and the sets destroyed by Hindu extremists was later shot in picturesque Sri Lanka with a different set of actors.
The film is set in the 1930s colonial India, amidst the rising power and popularity of Gandhi and opens with the young Chuiya being widowed after her much older husband dies, a husband she does not recognize or a marriage she does not recall. She is, almost immediately, sent to a widows’ home by her parents, an act which makes your heart go out to the young Chuiya. The widows’ home almost immediately, changes after her arrival in a way which makes the widows question their faith and their way of life. The Sri Lankan girl Sarala, in the role of young Chuiya is adorable and she breathes life into her character. The film also captures the lives of other widows namely Lisa Ray as Kalyani and Seema Biswas as Shakuntala. The Lisa Ray track is your quintessential love story, wherein the rebellious widow finds solace in her love interest, played by John Abraham. I think, this track has helped portray to the foreign audiences the much romanticized image of India. John Abraham has done justice to his Gandhian character, Narayan and Lisa Ray is promising. Seema Biswas is in her usual best, and she plays her middle-aged widow role with ease. All credit to Deepa Mehta, with her amazing ability to make even the smallest characters stand out. For example, the character of the ladoo loving Bua, is beautiful and makes you laugh and cry at the same time. The downside is that the movie is a little sluggish in certain places and the scenes play out slowly which makes you lose interest. But this shouldn’t hold people back from watching this wonderful film. Personally, I thought 1947-Earth was a better film. Screenplay and Cinematography are excellent and the editing is crisp. All in all, this is the story of a group of strong willed women, essentially like the Indian woman and this is where the film scores on originality.
I don’t know why I am making this point so late in the review but here goes… The background score and songs composed by maestro A R Rahman are speechless haunting. Lyrics by Sukhwinder Singh are ideal and he should write for more films.
All said and done, this film is a huge loss for India and the Hindu extremists made a huge mistake by hampering the shoot. So, it eight out of ten for Deepa Mehta’s Water and two thumbs up for her courage to tell the story of the plight of widows. Lastly, hats off to the little girl Sarala for being this little powerhouse of talent playing a role which is truly difficult to play.
