What It's About
According to sacred Hindu law, a widow has three choices to remain virtuous: burn with her dead husband, marry his younger brother, or live a life of celibacy and self-denial. Set in 1930s India, Deepa Mehta's stirring drama chronicles a child's initiation into that third path. Chuyia (Sarala), only 7, can barely remember being married, but one morning her parents leave her on the steps of a widows' ashram. She quickly latches onto the beautiful Kalyani (Lisa Ray), the home's income-earning prostitute who begins a forbidden romance with Narayan (John Abraham), a progressive Gandhi follower.

Why You Should See It Seeing an Indian widow's sorrowful existence through a 7-year-old's eyes is heartbreaking, yes. But just before we drown in despair, Chuyia provides a much-needed dose of humor -- whether she's buying a dying widow one last forbidden piece of candy or wickedly stomping on the fat mean widow's back. The irresistibly gorgeous Ray is perfectly cast as Kalyani, and Narayan's belief in Gandhi, not to mention the Mahatma's final visit to the widows' town, gives us hope where it appears there was none.

Production Note The film took five years to complete. In 2000, Indian authorities shut down production when fundamentalist Hindus rioted, threw set pieces and props into the Ganges River, burned Mehta in effigy and threatened her life. Mehta secretly started shooting again in 2004 but moved the film to Sri Lanka and used an assumed name.

Track Record Mehta, 55, is quite used to controversy -- and death threats. First, the director tackled oppressive marriages in 'Fire,' which follows the emotional and sexual relationship between Hindu sisters-in-law. Extremists burned down the Indian cinema that first screened it. Then Mehta made 'Earth,' a love story between a Hindu woman and a Muslim man set against the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan. With 'Water,' Mehta's now-complete trilogy is considered her signature as a filmmaker.

Auteur Testimonial "All those who have seen the film have told me it's my best work, though I like all the three parts of my trilogy equally," Mehta said in an interview with WebIndia123.com. "But since 'Water' underwent a very painful gestation period, I guess it will always remain my favorite."

Recommended If You Liked
'Earth'
'Fire'
'Gandhi'
'Memoirs of a Geisha'
'Bollywood Hollywood'

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