Water (2005)

 ●  Hindi ● 1 hr 56 mins

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Set against the tumultuous backdrop of India in 1938, this poignant drama follows the life of an 8 year old girl. Shockingly, this innocent child who barely even remembers her wedding and has little comprehension of her marriage, has just been widowed. Required by ancient Hindu laws to now leave society, she is brought to a dilapidated widow house or ashram where, according to custom, her hair will be shorn, her clothes exchanged for white robes and the rest of her life, until her death, will be spent in renunciation. However the feisty, precocious, disbelieving Chuyia (Sarala) soon turns the house upside down with her rebellious spark. She begins to have a profound affect on the other women who live there, in particular the devout Shakuntala (Seema Biswas) and the beautiful Kalyani (Lisa Ray) who has been forced into prostitution by the domineering head widow, Madhumati (Manorama). It is Chuyia who leads Kalyani to meet the alluring law student and Gandhi nationalist Narayan (John Abraham), with whom Kalyani falls in love, despite the taboos. What happens next - an attempt at escape fueled by passion and bravery -- will change Chuyia forever and bring both tragedy and an unexpected ray of hope to the widow house.
See Storyline (May Contain Spoilers)

Cast: Buddhi Wickrama, Rinsly Weerarathne, Sarala Kariyawasam

Crew: Deepa Mehta (Director), Giles Nuttgens (Director of Photography), AR Rahman (Music Director)

Rating: U/A (India)

Genres: Drama, Romance

Release Dates: 09 Sep 2005 (India)

Hindi Name: वॉटर

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Did you know? American filmmaker George Lucas took out a full-page ad in "Variety" to support Deepa Mehta in her struggle to make this film when Indian authorities made clear their intentions to shut the production down. Read More
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as Baba
as Chuyia's Husband
as Chuyia
as Upset Woman
as Seth Dwarkanath
as Barber
as Narayan
as Sadananda
as Kalyani
as Madhumati
as Mahatma Gandhi
as Vendor
as Gulabi
as Snehalata
as Kunti
as Shakuntala
as Young Gandhi Follower
as Rabindra
as Bhagavati, Narayan's Mother

Direction

Director
First Assistant Director
Second Assistant Director

Distribution

Writers

Screenplay Writer
Dialogue Writer

Camera and Electrical

Director of Photography

Music

Music Director
Background Music

Sound

Sound Re-recording Mixer
Foley Artist

Casting

Casting Director

Costume and Wardrobe

Costume Designer

Editorial

Editor

Makeup and Hair

Makeup Artist

Stunts

Stunt Coordinator
Film Type:
Feature
Language:
Hindi
Colour Info:
Color
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Frame Rate:
24 fps
Aspect Ratio:
2.35:1, 2.39:1 (Scope)
Stereoscopy:
No
Tracklist
05:16

Music Director: AR Rahman
06:02

Music Director: AR Rahman
05:19

Music Director: AR Rahman
Playback Singer: Sadhana Sargam
05:10

Music Director: AR Rahman
Playback Singer: Richa Sharma
05:19

Music Director: AR Rahman
Playback Singer: Ajay Chakraborty
05:19

Music Director: AR Rahman
Playback Singer: Sukhwinder Singh
Goofs:
Continuity
Kalyani's dog appears older in the scene in which it escapes than the next time it is shown.

Continuity
In the scene when Chuiya is first running up the steps after Kaalu, she is barefoot. When the camera switches perspectives, she has a pair of sandals on. In the next frame, she is barefoot again.
Trivia:
The Varanasi schedule had to be stopped due to threats and demonstrations orchestrated by Hindu fundamentalist groups supported by the leadership of the state government in Uttar Pradesh. The protests were based on a previous version of the script which had been leaked, and lines of dialogue taken out of context to make them appear anti-Hindu. Director Deepa Mehta was burned in effigy during these protests.

American filmmaker George Lucas took out a full-page ad in "Variety" to support Deepa Mehta in her struggle to make this film when Indian authorities made clear their intentions to shut the production down.

Four years after production was shut down in India, filming resumed in Sri Lanka under the fake title "Full Moon" to avoid attention.

Deepa Mehta auditioned around 50 girls for the role of Chuyia.