Water (2005/I)

Popularity:

Down 16% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Deepa Mehta

Writers:

Anurag Kashyap (dialogue)
Deepa Mehta

Release Date:

7 September 2006 (Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

The film examines the plight of a group of widows forced into poverty at a temple in the holy city of Varanasi. It focuses on a relationship between one of the widows, who wants to escape the social restrictions imposed on widows, and a man who is from the highest caste and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi.

Plot Keywords:

Widow | Tradition | Love | Ashram | India

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 18 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Sarala Kariyawasam	...	Chuyia (as Sarala)
Buddhi Wickrama	...	Baba
Rinsly Weerarathne	...	Chuyia's Husband
Iranganie Serasinghe	...	Mother in Law (as Iranganee Serasinghe)
Hermantha Gamage	...	Barber
Ronica Sajnani	...	Kunti
Manorama	...	Madhumati (as Manorma)
Rishma Malik	...	Snehalata
Meera Biswas	...	Gyanvati
Vidula Javalgekar	...	'Auntie' Patiraji (as Dr. Vidula Javalgekar)
Seema Biswas	...	Shakuntala
Lisa Ray	...	Kalyani
Sanoja Bibile	...	Woman Bather
Dolly Ahluwalia	...	Upset Woman (as Dolly Ahluwalia Tewari)
John Abraham	...	Narayan
Waheeda Rehman	...	Bhagavati, Narayan's Mother
Daya Alwis	...	Saduram
Raghuvir Yadav	...	Gulabi
Vinay Pathak	...	Rabindra
Kulbhushan Kharbanda	...	Sadananda
Delon Weerasinghe	...	Priest
Seema	...	Bahu-Rani
Francisca Mudannayake	...	Little Girl
Mulchand Dedhia	...	Vendor
Isuru Navodya	...	Young Patiraji
Niroshan Wijesinghe	...	Patiraji's Groom
Gerson Da Cunha	...	Seth Dwarkanath
Vasant Nath	...	Young Gandhi Follower
Mohan Jhangiani	...	Mahatma Gandhi
Zul Vilani	...	Mahatma Gandhi (voice)
Kumari Dissanayake	...	Widow
S. Thevanamma	...	Widow
Seelawathie Silva	...	Widow
Siththi Ummah	...	Widow
Fowzie Inaya	...	Widow
Mala Meenachchi	...	Widow
A.A. Premawathie	...	Widow
Nazeema Farlya	...	Widow
T. Mageswari	...	Widow
H. Pathiranage	...	Widow
S. Pooneswary	...	Widow
S. Parameshawari	...	Widow
S. Santhanam Mary	...	Widow
S. Rajeshwari	...	Widow
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Deepa Mehta	...	Special Appearance (uncredited)

Directed by
Deepa Mehta

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Anurag Kashyap		dialogue
Deepa Mehta

Produced by
Mark Burton	....	executive producer
David Hamilton	....	producer
Doug Mankoff	....	executive producer
Dilip Mehta	....	associate producer
Marek Posival	....	associate producer
Ajay Virmani	....	executive producer
Claire Welland	....	line producer

Original Music by
Mychael Danna
A.R. Rahman

Cinematography by
Giles Nuttgens

Film Editing by
Colin Monie

Casting by
Uma Da Cunha

Production Design by
Errol Kelly		(Design Consultant - Sri Lanka)

Art Direction by
Sumant Jayakrishnan

Set Decoration by
Rumana Hamied
Lal Harindranath

Costume Design by
Dolly Ahluwalia

Makeup Department
Lalith Dharmawardena	....	assistant hair stylist
Hermantha Gamage	....	daily makeup artist
Liz Gruszka	....	key makeup artist
Regan Noble	....	key hair stylist
Regan Noble	....	wig maker: Raghubir Yadav
Ravi Wickramanayake	....	hair stylist: Lisa Ray
Ranjit Wickramasinghe	....	assistant makeup artist (as Ranjith Wickremasinghe)

Production Management
Lylie Almeida	....	unit production manager
W. Michael Beard	....	post-production supervisor
Dipa De Motwane	....	unit production manager
Gina Fowler	....	production manager
Asoka Perera	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Avani Batra	....	third assistant director
Jack Boem	....	second assistant director
Dylan Gray	....	first assistant director
Siddique Mohamed	....	third assistant director
Péter Palátsik	....	second assistant director: India
Akshay Roy	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Michael Appuhamy	....	carpenter
Saddika Asanka	....	carpenter
K.D. Charles	....	carpenter
K.D. Jagath Christy	....	carpenter
Hemasiri Dias	....	assistant property master
S.N.S. Samanda Dias	....	plasterer
Lal Dissanayake	....	plasterer
Lal Dissanayake	....	swing gang
Edward	....	plasterer
Rohan Fernando	....	carpenter
Ronnie Fonseka	....	carpenter
W. Manjula Fonseka	....	carpenter
W.L.G. Fonseka	....	carpenter
Gamini	....	facilities laborer
Rumana Hamied	....	set dresser
Jayan Hasitha	....	carpenter
Kingsley Joseph	....	plasterer
K.D. Justin	....	construction manager
Darshana Sampath Karunaratne	....	props assistant
P.U. Karunaratne	....	painter
Errol Kelly	....	design consultant
Sunil Kodituwakku	....	painter
Chaminda Saman Kumara	....	carpenter
W. Saman Kumara	....	carpenter
Lionel Liyanage	....	property master
A. Magulpokuna	....	carpenter
P.K. Manjula	....	facilities laborer
G.T.R. Mendis	....	carpenter
Victor Meniksagara	....	props laborer
Murli Menon	....	property master
P.D. Michael	....	set dressing carpenter
Damith Nandalal	....	stand-by props
A. Nandasiri	....	props laborer
Senaka Nawaratne	....	second assistant art director
Senaka Nawaratne	....	sketch artist
Salinda Perera	....	carpenter
W. Chamitha Perera	....	carpenter
Nihal Ponweera	....	construction buyer
R.G. Ranoj Priyantha	....	painter
Anura Priyashantha	....	carpenter
B.R.C. Rajasiri	....	swing gang
Welegedara Ranasinghe	....	assistant set decorator
Anuradha Ranjith	....	chief painter (as Ranjith Anuradha)
Pradip Redij	....	art department
Mohamed Risran	....	plasterer
Colin Rodrigo	....	carpenter
Percy Rodrigo	....	carpenter
Tuan Saiffadeen	....	facilities laborer
N. Senaratne	....	set dressing assistant
Aradhana Seth	....	design consultant
Yogender Sharma	....	set props
Roy Silva	....	carpenter
Upali Silva	....	carpenter
Siddarth Sirohi	....	third assistant art director
Roshan Susantha	....	plasterer
Anthony Thomas	....	carpenter
I.M.U. Upatissa	....	painter
J.M.D. Chamitha Wasantha	....	carpenter
Lionel Wattege	....	set dressing carpenter
L.M. Ruwan Wijenundara	....	carpenter
Sunil Wijeratne	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Sylvain Arseneault	....	sound recordist
Steve Baine	....	foley artist (as Steve Bain)
Roberta Bratti	....	supervisor of audio operations
Christian Carruthers	....	sound re-recording mixer
Elius Caruso	....	sound re-recording mixer
Pat Cassin	....	boom operator
Shreela Chakrabartty	....	location sound effects recordist
Bryan Day	....	sound recordist
Lal C. Dissanayake	....	sound recordist
John Dykstra	....	adr recordist
Mark Gingras	....	supervising sound editor
Jamie Gould	....	re-recording assistant
Gina Gyles	....	foley assistant
John Laing	....	supervising sound editor
John Loranger	....	first assistant sound editor (as John L'Oranger)
Matthew McKenzie	....	adr recordist
Aditya Modi	....	assistant sound engineer
Mike Paterson	....	sound engineer: optical track
Karunadasa Pathiratne	....	cable person
Peter Persaud	....	foley recordist
S. Sivakumar	....	sound engineer
H. Sridhar	....	sound engineer
Andrew Tay	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Soukup	....	sound transfer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
R.R.B. Alphonso	....	key special effects
Gamini Mallawarachchi	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Rebecca Adams	....	production coordinator: SOHO VFX
Alan Bak	....	technical supervisor
Tom Bak	....	senior production supervisor
Jeff Baker	....	technical supervisor
Drake Conrad	....	digital color timer
Drake Conrad	....	digital colorist
Jason Giberson	....	film scanning and recording
Rick Hannigan	....	project supervisor
Felix Heeb	....	film scanning and recording
Anna Ivanova	....	digital compositor: SOHO VFX
Michael Kowalski	....	producer: Soho vfx
Wojciech Kufner	....	3D animator: Soho VFX
Matthew Lynch	....	producer: Soho VFX
Diana Madureira	....	production coordinator
Allan Magled	....	visual effects supervisor (as Alan Magled)
Paul Mantler	....	film scanning and recording
Mike Mombourquette	....	digital compositor: SOHO VFX
Chris Ross	....	digital optical effects
Keith Sellers	....	digital compositor: Soho VFX
Michael Todd Smith	....	systems administrator: SOHO VFX
Derek Sunderland	....	3D animator: Soho VFX
Mark Tureski	....	digital opticals effects

Stunts
Teddy Vidyalankara	....	stunt coordinator (as Teddy Widyalankara)

Camera and Electrical Department
Deepak Agarwal	....	chief electrician
Bob Davidson	....	gaffer: Sri Lanka
Mulchand Dedhia	....	gaffer
K.A. Dharshana	....	grip
Piyal Illeyaperuma	....	best boy grip
Melanie Jeffrey	....	second assistant camera
Surendra Kumar	....	best boy electric
Nihal Mallawarachchi	....	generator operator
Champilka Nilantha	....	third assistant camera
K.K.N. Palitha	....	electrician
Anura Perera	....	grip
Milton Philip	....	facilities electrician
Adhi Rutnam	....	electrician
Devyani Saltzman	....	still photographer
Eberhard Schedl	....	Steadicam operator
Lilia Sellami	....	first assistant camera
Kerry Smart	....	first assistant camera
I.G. Somaratne	....	electrician
L.E. Susantha Sudharshana	....	electrician
D. Van Gramberg	....	key grip (as Denham Van Gramberg)
Johnny Wersta	....	dolly grip

Casting Department
Dinesh Anchan	....	casting assistant
Kate Chantler	....	extras casting
Moly Perera	....	extras casting assistant
Nimal Wijesirl	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lucky Athauda	....	assistant costumer
Suraj Azmath	....	assistant costumer
Yusuf Khan	....	wardrobe supervisor
Hira Lol	....	dresser
Inoka Nilanthi Ruhunge	....	assistant costumer
Seema	....	wardrobe assistant
Narinder Singh	....	costume assistant
Viswa	....	tailor
Yusuf	....	costume department manager

Editorial Department
Tom Mayclim	....	negative cutter
Arthur Montreuil	....	color timer
Ricardo Olivero	....	color timer
Paul Whitehead	....	additional editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Raqueeb Alam	....	playback singer
Ulhas Bapat	....	musician: santoor (as Ulhas Bhapat)
Surjo Bhattacharya	....	playback singer
Peter Breiner	....	conductor
Ajoy Chakraborty	....	playback singer (as Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty)
Kaushiki Chakraborty	....	playback singer
Rakesh Chaurasia	....	musician: bansuri
Mychael Danna	....	musician: tanpura
V. Selva Ganesh	....	musician: kanjiras (as Selva Ganesh)
Ganga	....	playback singer
Elif Isikozlu	....	musician: piano
Madhu	....	musician: shehenai
Srinivas Murthy	....	orchestral sounds
G.S. Sachdev	....	musician: bass bansui/raag khamaj
Sadhana Sargam	....	playback singer
Anoushka Shankar	....	musician: sitar
Bravani Shanker	....	musician: pakawaj, manjira, tabla
Richa Sharma	....	playback singer
Rob Simonsen	....	assistant to composer
Sukhwinder Singh	....	playback singer
H. Sridhar	....	additional music editor

Transportation Department
M.Z. Ahmeer	....	transportation captain
Tyrol Anderson	....	driver
Raj Anthony	....	driver
Gamini Dabare	....	driver
Nihal Dabare	....	driver
Sunil Jayakody	....	driver
Chandimal Kodituwakku	....	transportation coordinator
Nuwan Manju	....	driver
Vujitha Peiris	....	driver
Susil Premachandra	....	driver
Sunil Premaratne	....	picture vehicle coordinator
M. Premasiri	....	driver
Anura Priyantha	....	driver
R.M.V. Ratnayake	....	safety driver
Vidura Sampath	....	driver
P.A. Ajith Shantha	....	driver

Other crew
Chris Besseling	....	uk marketing executive: metrodome
Gopi Darmaratnam	....	consultant production accountant
Aruni De Silva	....	nurse
A.W. Dharmadasa	....	facilities
Pearl Dunuwila	....	production coordinator
Janice Fowlie	....	production accountant
Indira Guha	....	business and legal affairs: Telefilm Canada
Krishantha Gunasekera	....	cashier
Krishantha Gunasekera	....	location accountant
Lon J. Hall	....	legal counsel
Vivian Hanwell	....	assistant to producers
Erin Heidenreich	....	sales agent
Joshua Jason	....	publicist
Sarath Jayasundara	....	production assistant
Winnifred Jong	....	script supervisor
Anurag Kashyap	....	dialogue consultant: Hindi
Anurag Kashyap	....	script consultant
Errol Kelly	....	design consultant
Anthony Lordon	....	location manager
Chaminda Meemanage	....	cashier
Deepa Mehta	....	development consultant
J.W. Mendis	....	facilities manager
Vikramaditya Motwane	....	choreographer
M. Nandadiri	....	assistant location manager
Vasant Nath	....	assistant to director
Jagath Nissanka	....	production assistant
Rienzie Perera	....	assistant location manager
S.A. Premadasa	....	facilities assistant
Suranga Ranawaka	....	crowd control
Mohamed Rizva	....	crowd control
Ranjith Rubesinghe	....	crowd control
Ruwan	....	on-set craft services
Jayasiri Samaratunga	....	facilities assistant
Michael Schaus	....	assistant to producers
Elaine Scott	....	business affairs
Nirmal Shah	....	cashier
Aruna Shantha	....	crowd control
Kingsley Umara	....	crowd control
Paul Whitehead	....	co-edited english version
Jasmine Wickremasekera	....	production secretary
Neelawathura Wijewardena	....	animal handler

Thanks
George Lucas	....	ultra thanks
A.R. Rahman	....	musical thanks

Production Companies

• Deepa Mehta Films
• Flagship International
• David Hamilton Productions
• Echo Lake Entertainment
• Harold Greenberg Fund, The
• Noble Nomad Pictures
• Téléfilm Canada

Distributors

• Filmcoopi Zürich (2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Films sans Frontières (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Fox Searchlight Pictures (2006) (USA) (theatrical)
• Golden Village Entertainment (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Metrodome Distribution (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2005) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Casablanca Filmes (2009) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Europa Filmes (2010) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Metrodome Distribution (2007) (UK) (all media)
• Mongrel Media (2005) (Canada) (all media)
• Prorom Media-Trade (2005) (Romania) (all media)
• Sony BMG Music Entertaintment (2007) (Germany)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2009) (Australia) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Soho VFX

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Cine-Byte Imaging  digital intermediate
• Cinetic Media  sales
• Deluxe Post-Production  sound post-production
• Foley One  post-production sound services
• Hall Webber  legal services
• Kate's Casting  extras casting
• Saregama HMV  soundtrack released by: India (as Saregama India Limited)
• Urban Post Production  sound post-production
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack released by
• William F. White International  grip and lighting equipment

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving sexual situations, and for brief drug use

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

Canada | India

Language:

Hindi | Sanskrit

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Germany:12 | India:U | New Zealand:M | Norway:A | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Central Province, Sri Lanka

Company:

Deepa Mehta Films

Trivia:

Although Lisa Ray speaks Hindi, it is not her mother tongue. She worked on her diction to perfect the dialog.

Goofs:

Continuity: Kalyani's dog appears older in the scene in which it escapes than the next time it is shown.

Quotes:

Kalyani:'Learn to live like the lotus untouched by the filthy water it grows in.' Krishnaji said it in the Geeta
Narayana:Krishna was a god. Not everyone can live like the lotus flower.
Kalyani:Yes, they can.

Movie Connections:

References Sansho the Bailiff (1954)

Soundtrack:

Chan Chan

The Water of Life; Echoes of Baran

In 2001, well-regarded Iranian director Majid Majidi came out with Baran, a film about a young girl forced to pretend to be a boy in order to bring money to her immigrant Afghani family, living illegally in Iran and not permitted to work. Baran means 'rain' in Farsi, and the allegory of water was a very important one thematically within the film.

Baran was later thematically pilfered by a less successful film, Osama, which dealt with the harsh reality of an anti-feminist Taliban in Afghanistan, where a girl is caught pretending to be a boy by the Taliban regime, and the horrible consequences of her actions - only committed for the purpose of survival.

Water is similar to both of these films on several thematic levels. Deepa Mehta finishes he trilogy on a powerful note. She gives us the story of two women, each trying to discover a sense of self-worth and purpose while trapped in a seemingly endless life of forced confinement. she also gives us the story of a woman who is not only trying to keep her faith but understand it, and a man who is looking for change in a world of stagnation and traditionalism.

The feminist ideal is a prominent one, as is survival against the harshest of odds. Inhumanity on one level contrasted against the theme of renewal, both physically and spiritually - the essence of water, the ever-moving, indispersable, and essential aspect of life itself. But Water succeeds on the level of Baran - unlike Osama, which preaches incessantly, hitting you over the head with its point until your concussed with what the director has to say. Water, like Baran, is subtle, preferring to let the human side of the story tell you what you need to know, and showing us the necessity for change, for hope, for unbroken faith, without holding our hands through the process.

Mehta has given us a very successful film. What struck me most about this film was that the subject matter is one that the Western world would likely exclaim as being incomprehensible - that of widows being thought of as untouchable, and spiritual pollution (as though it was their will that their husbands die on them...) - and yet so much of the Western World exists in this film. This is not merely an Eastern film that we should look at and cluck our tongues, saying 'those crazy Indians!' These issues exist in our back yards - the ill treatment of foreigners, of neighbours, of our own peoples.

This film is very heavy, but there is a light side to it - the message of Ghandi, and the promise of renewal of spirit. That faith is not something to twist to your own beliefs, but something for your beliefs to be twisted to. We are constantly reminded of Ghandi's teachings - but we are never preached to. Instead, Ghandi could almost be an absent narrator - his voice is only heard for a brief instant near the end of the film - instead we hear his voice through the voice of Narayan, who is the avatar of Ghandi in the film, and the avatar of change.

Water teaches us that problems exist, and that many are rooted in our own traditions and beliefs - often misinterpreted or twisted by us to fit our agendas. The British can't be scapegoats for THIS set of issues (though they were responsible for plenty of others). Change is hard to come by, but the one thing that is eternal is Water. Sure, there are a few moments of unsubtle prodding in the film, but the fine acting and smart writing overcame any moments of forced drama. And the heart-wrenching twists within the story were surprising in their finality, and not Disneyesque tear-jerking moments. Our faith (and not necessarily religious faith) must be like water - for without either, we cannot hope to survive. 9.5/10.