Sunday, March 11, 2007

Water Movie Review -- A great experience

Movie - Water
Director - Deepa Mehta
Music Director - A.R. Rahman
Actor - John Abraham, Seema Biswas, Lisa Ray, Sarala
Date of Release - 9th March 2007

More than an year after it was release in US/Canada and after being nominated in the best foreign film category in the Oscars(Representing Canada, and not India) Water finally saw the light of the day in India.

The story based in India about the plight of widows in the late 1930's also highlights the transition of Gandhiism which was going on at that time in terms of fighting the older rituals. The story talks about the plight of a young widow "Chuhia" played excellently by Sarala when she enters a ashram (meant for widows) and how things change after that.

In a sense this movie questions some of the old Hindu Rituals regarding widows, and probably the reason, why the shooting for the same was stopped in Varanasi a few years back. But in simple words this is beautiful cinema. The simplicity and the Indianess with which the whole topic is dealt is beautiful. In addition the highlight of the movie is the Sri Lankan child artists Sarla who plays the role of Chuhia in the movie. The way the role has been enacted is one of the best I have seen in the lifetime. Seema Biswas has also given a strong performance well supported by John Abraham who falls in love with Lisa Ray (another widow).

A.R. Rahman's haunting music is top class as usual, and the rain song (aaya re..)is actually very well picturised. The cinematography is good and so is the direction and editing.

The only weak point in the movie is it's pace and the lack of entertainment value. Obviously one couldn't expect this movie to be on the lines of Lage Raho Munnabhai , but still a bit of fast paced movie definitely would have been liked by the audience.

All in all a movie very well made, and definitely worth the wait for us in India.

Rating 3.5/5

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