A Funkaoshi Production

Water

   7 December 2005, lunch time

Deepa Metha gets criticized (and then some) in India for pointing out some of the ugly parts of India’s past. I watched Water last night with Steph. I had assumed that a movie about the woeful lives of widows living in the India of 1938 would be depressing; what I didn’t appreciate was just how depressing the film would be. The movie tracks the lives of a few widows, and a handful of people they interact with. Though the commercials and trailers may suggest that Lisa Ray (who is really hot) is the star of the film, she is really one of several important characters in the movie. Seema Badwis, who plays the most devout widow living in the widow’s hostel, is, in someways, the true star of the movie. Her performance is excellent. I actually think her character’s story is the most depressing in the film. Another important character is Chuyia, the newly widowed child-bride, played by Sarala. I would say she is the lead protagonist of the movie, as much of the story focuses on her, and her interactions with the other widows. Beyond the story, the movie looks gorgeous; the cinematography is superb. The music, done by A.R. Rahman, is also excellent. I intend to track down the soundtrack. This movie is well worth watching. The tragedy is of course that widows still live like they were dead in many parts of India. This sort of ugliness needs to be pointed out.

The official Water web site.

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