Oscar nominated 'Water' to release in India

New Delhi, Feb 16: After garnering much critical acclaim as well as box office success abroad and becoming the fourth film by an Indian filmmaker to be nominated for an Oscars, Deepa Mehta's 'Water' will hit Indian theatres on March 9.

It ia one of the most successful Hindi language films in North America - it has already brought in 5.6 million dollars at the US box office after it played in 150 theatres - in recent years but for Canada-based Indian filmmaker Deepa Mehta, an Indian release for 'Water', is something she has waited for a long time.

''I am thrilled that the film will finally be able to be seen by Indian audiences,'' Mehta said at a press meet in the Capital here last evening where B R Films, 'Water's distributors in India, announced the date of the film's India release.

'Water' has been selected by the Oscars Academy among the final five nominees for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar Award. The awards are scheduled to be held on February 25.

The film whipped up much controversy in India when Mehta began its shooting in Varanasi seven years ago which led to protests by fundamentalists forcing her to suspend shooting and abandon the project.

Starring Bollywood hunk John Abraham, model-turned-actor Lisa Ray and actor Seema Biswas, 'Water', the third in the trilogy of films by Deepa Mehta after 'Fire' and '1947 Earth', deals with the plight of widows in 1930s' India.

The film has already been theatrically released in 57 countries, including the United Kingdom and Denmark also.

Speaking at the press meet, Ravi Chopra, producer of socially-relevant films like 'Baghban' and 'Babul' and the head of B R Films, said it was a cause of elation for Mehta that a film which she struggled for over five years 'to make, was finally' being released in her native land, the country where she was brought up and where the story of the film was based.

Ravi Chopra, however, said his decision to take up the release of the film in India was not impelled by the film winning an Oscar nomination.

''The decision to release the film in India was made before the film bagged the Oscar nomination,'' Chopra said.

On the reason for B R Films taking up the release of the film in India when no other distributor was willing to take it up, Chopra said,'' it is a very cute film, a beautiful love story. It is a film which has won accolades and box office success galore in the US and in this sense made India proud in the West. This is all the more reason why I felt people in India should see this film.'' On her part, Mehta, in what was her first interaction with the Indian media after bagging the Oscar nomination, expressed a sense of gratitude to B R Films and Ravi Chopra for venturing to release the film in India when no Indian distributor was willing to release it.

''After the experience with 'Fire', where theatres were burnt down in protest, I was worried about whether any distributor would be willing to show 'Water'. That Ravi chopra is willing to take a chance with 'Water' heartens me and gives me hope,'' Mehta said.

Set against Mahatma Gandhi's Civil Disobedience movement of 1938, 'Water' is a deeply resonant tale of three women and their uprising against gender injustice and servitude in the 'widow houses' of India.

After widespread protests which followed the film's shooting in Varanasi in 2000 - sets of the film were set on fire by radical Hindu protestors who also burned Mehta's effigy in the streets and even threatened the director - hundreds of army troops were deployed to protect the cast and crew but the production was finally forced to shut down.

The film was revived four years later with a cast altogether different from what marked its launch in 2000. John Abraham was roped in to play the male lead instead of Bollywood star Akshay Kumar while Nandita Das was replaced by Lisa Ray. Shooting for the film resumed in Sri lanka in 2005. Asked about the controversy surrounding the film, Chopra said, in the film, Deepa Mehta is talking about something that happened in India in the 1930s. One can differ with the director's take on the hapennings, but nobody can deny that it happened.

''As an Indian, after watching the film, I did not feel that the film hurts Indian sensibilities in any way. If I had thought so, I would not have taken the decision to release the film In India.'' He said B R Films had always believed in supporting good films with socially relevant themes.

''Water' seemed just the kind of films that B R Films has been supporting over the years,'' Chopra said.

He expressed confidence that after watching the film, people in India would understand that unnecessary controversy was made over the film seven years ago.

Initially, the film will be released with about 100 prints all over India, including nine in Delhi.

''The film will initially be released in theatres in metros like New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Later, depending on the response, we will take it to smaller centers,'' Chopra said.

Chopra is personally supervising all aspects of the film's release. A broad-based marketing campaign will drive the release.

For Deepa Mehta, the Oscar nomination for 'Water' is something that would remain really special whether or not the film finally wins an Oscar.

The film, which was Canada's entry for the Best Foreign Language category, was, on January 23, shortlisted among the final five along with 'Pan's Labyrinth' (Mexico), 'After The Wedding' (Denmark), 'Days of Glory' and the German Cold War drama 'The Lives of Others'.

''I'm thrilled! It means a lot to me. It's a film that's very personal, and we've had such a difficult time with it, so it feels good,'' Mehta said.

''For me, winning a nomination at the Oscars is itself a matter of pride. From hereon, it does not matter whether or not the film eventually wins the Oscars,'' she said.

She, however, added that the films which were in competition in the category were all very good films and so 'Water' faced tough competition.

On the film being nominated by Canada and not India, Mehta said, ''of course, there will be a tinge of regret about the film not being sent from India. However, for me 'Water' will always be a combination of the passion for storytelling that I owe to my experiences in India and that helped me come up with films like 'Fire', '1947: Earth' and 'Water' and the freedom for creative expression that Canada gave to me.'' Speaking on the occasion, the film's lead actor and Bollywood hunk John Abraham said for him, it was indeed a matter of pride to have been associated with a filmmaker like Deepa Mehta.

''Deepa Mehta is an actor's director. She understands her actors' sensibilities and projects her characters very well. In fact, I am proud to say that finally I have a Deepa Mehta's film on my CV,'' John said.

Released by Fox Searchlight in the US in April last year, Water went on to become one of the best reviewed films of the year, and the highest grossing Hindi-language drama ever in North America.

The film recieved the Freedom of Expression award from the National Board of Review, was named one of the top ten best pictures by the New York Film Critics online and recieved their humanitarian award.

Besides, the Oscars nominations for Best Foreign Language film, 'Water' has earlier received nine nominations and three awards at the 26th annual Genie Awards (Canada's Oscars) including an award for Seema Biswas for 'Outstanding Actress in a leading Role', 'Achievement in Music-Original Score' award for Mychael Danna and 'Achievement in Cinematography' award for Giles Nuttgens. The film also won for Deepa Mehta the Best Director and Lisa Ray the Best Actress award in the 2005 Vancouver Film Critics awards and received a nomination for Best Canadian Film.

UNI