For those who havent seen this film or are considering doing so - go out and get it now!! Can be found on amazon for around 10-12 pounds or find it online and watch it!

This has got to be one of my all time favourite movies by Deepa Mehta - a very contraversial director from india who brought us films such as fire - about same sex love in a normal poor middle class family in india and the consequences of falling in love with the wrong person, as well a heavy critique of indian society. Indeed the film has been banned from india and there much effort to do the same to Water.. it seems the indian government are obsessed with hiding their not so pretty past too!

Water is part of her "elements" series which started with Earth:1947 a love story, Fire and now Water. The better known bollywood stars include Johnny Abraham (such a hottie, i hate tht basu chick!!) Lisa Ray and Seema Biswas,

Plot Synopsis: The film is set in the years post independence when india was just starting to come into its own with one foot in the future of self determination and one foot in past to ancient delibitating traditions. Mehta Explores one of these traditions that is 1) of the child bride 2) of the ancient (now banned) custom whereby widows either burnt on their husbands funeral pyre on his death or live the rest of their days in a solitary "ashram" - or house for widows, shaving hair, wearing only a one piece clothe of white colour and living life in a very deprived way generally devoting their time to prayer. It was not unusual for widows to be seen as a bad omen much like black cats in western folk lore and so these women hidden away and shunned from society. The film focuses on Chuyia a young bride (abt 8 years old) who is both married and become a widow, so young that she doesn't even realise she is one! She left in an ashram by her father where she bravely stands upto Manorama the resident tyrant, becomes close to Kalyani (played by Ray) who is an outcaste in the dead society of widows and become something of a surrogate child to Shakuntala (played by Biswas). Chuyia's entry into the ashram stirs life up and gives a childs view of this austere and quite terrifying environment
as well reflect on indian society at the time. Kalyani falls in love with the handsome educated and wealthy Narayan (played by Abraham), who is willing to defy both family, and social conventions to marry his lover Kalyani despite her being a widow. However their love has a twisted and fateful ending when Kalyani makes as sudden discovery - I cnt give more details away otherwise it'll ruin the film for you!
Mehta also explores the still darker side - the sexual exploitation of these widows in india under the pretext of tradition and religion during this and ealrier generations.

I was really impressed with the child actor who plays chuyia - she was very good in her role.. and at the start of the film when her father dumps her in the ashram and she convinces herself her mum will definetly come back for her is sooo heart breaking. I so love this child!!

Lisa Ray too gave a very moving and very truthful to the facts type portrayel of her character, there was no glamming up (although she is stunning) for her part and
i really believed her character that of a shy, widow also a child bride turned widow not so long ago..

Seema Biswas was exceptionally good.. and it was a somewhat unsual role for her to play but she did it with great empathy and you can't help but feel both love, compassion and frustation with her inability to move away from traditions.

Johnny was surprisingly also good, i never took him for a serious actor i felt before he used his looks to get famous but he showed a another side to his acting skills and he's hot so im happy to watch him all day long anyway :P

Manorama - the tyrant - is a bitch we all love to hate, while at times you see a slight glimmer of humanity and possibly reasons why she became like she is her character is quite detestable

The cinematography was absolutely breathe taking.. and the filming was very artistic both technically and also what certain shots, certain lightening effects
and their contations to the emotions captured in the scene...I believe the film was shot in sri lanka.. so beautiful..just like the movie..