Two decades after its release, director Deepa Mehta reflects on the lasting legacy of Water, her Oscar-nominated masterpiece about the plight of widows in 1930s India. In an exclusive chat with Variety India, Mehta revealed the “accidental” way in which John Abraham was cast in the lead role, alongside Lisa Ray and Seema Biswas. It also shares the cast of the original film ‘Missing’ – which initially featured Akshay Kumar, Nandita Das and Shabana Azmi before mass protests halted production in Varanasi.
Twenty years after its release, Deepa Mehta’s blockbuster film Water is considered a monumental achievement in world cinema. The final installment of the acclaimed “Elements Trilogy,” the film follows the controversial “Fire” (1996) and “Earth” (1998), taking viewers into the heart of 1930s Varanasi to explore the social exile of widows.In a report published by Variety India, Mehta takes a look at the film’s two-decade legacy, its troubled production history, and the surprising reason behind its stellar cast.
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John Abraham It was a choice by Mehta’s mother
While John Abraham’s portrayal of Gandhi’s ideal, Narayan, became a career-defining role, Mehta admits that the choice was deeply personal rather than purely professional.“John was my mother’s choice. She saw him and said he was a handsome man, and I should choose him.”
That was it. “I can never say no to my mother,” Mehta revealed.This decision ultimately led to one of the most unexpected and successful transformations from commercial “action star” to sensitive actor in independent cinema.
Original cast of “Water”
Ultimately filmed in Sri Lanka under the alias River Moon, “Water” had a completely different face. In 2000, production began in Varanasi with a strong trio that never made it to the final screen.
Mehta revealed to Variety India that the original roles were intended for Akshay Kumar as Narayan (eventually played by John Abraham), and Nandita Das as Kalyani (eventually played by John Abraham).
Lisa Ray
) and Shabana Azmi as Shakuntala (eventually played by Seema Biswas).Although the original cast shaved their heads for the roles, violent protests and destruction of filming sets by extremists forced production to halt for four years.
More about “Water”
Set in 1938, Water uses the arrival of child widow Chuya to expose the hypocrisy of religious traditions used to oppress women. Mehta points out that although the film was born out of “shock and anger” in the wake of the protests, she wouldn’t change the final product.