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Although the movie 'Water' was shot in Sri Lanka instead of Benares, the daughter of film-maker Deepa Mehta, who was also her camera assistant, says it was a blessing in disguise as the holy Indian city had the potential to "overshadow" the storyline of the film. "I do not agree with people who say that shooting 'Water' in India would have given the film the 'right feel' or the 'right spirit'. It would be a conjecture to say how the film would have looked had it been shot in Benares," says Devyani Saltzman, who also worked as a still photographer on the project. The subject of 'Water' dealing with the oppression of the Hindu widows had generated a major controversy in 2000 and the shooting had to be stalled following attacks by Hindu fundamentalists who destroyed the sets and burnt Mehta's effigies. The film was later shot in neighbouring Sri Lanka. "In a way, shooting in Sri Lanka was good. The country gave us a lot of space and room to focus on the creativity aspect of the film. Besides, Banares is such an intriguing and beautiful place. It has a strong identity of its own. In our film, the story was more powerful and if we would have shot the film in Banares, this incredibly alive city would have overpowered the subject itself." Talking to PTI, after a reading session of her maiden literary venture -- Shooting Water -- here, Devyani said the book was politics, cinema and personal memoirs - all rolled into one. The book chronicled her experiences as a "child of divorce", rediscovering her relationship with her famous mother, the struggle to produce a film on a subject as controversial as oppression of Hindu widows and observing Benares up close and personal. "The book is not just about shooting of the film 'Water', but it is a story of love and redemption. Spanning across three continents and four countries, 'Shooting Water' is also the emergence of a deeper love between mother and daughter," said Canada-born Devyani, who works as a photojournalist and freelance writer. She said the book also has an insight to her growing-up years. "My parents were divorced when I was 11. At that time, I chose to live with my dad. As a half-Jew and half-Hindu, I spent my entire life navigating between two religions, two traditions, two cultures and two people belonging to both and to neither at once." "In 1999, when my mother invited me to Banares to work with her on 'Water', more than the work, it was basically an excuse for me to be with my mom for three months together. The film was also our second chance together," she said. It was during the two-and-a-half months of pre-production and over a week of shooting of 'Water' -- Mehta's final film of her trilogy after 'Fire' and 'Earth' -- that Devyani discovered the beauty of Banares, before work had to be discontinued. "It amazes me how despite having full permission from the then Central government, our film was not allowed to be shot in Banares. We were aghast at those politically-motivated attacks. I think for any nation to be truly strong, it should have the ability to examine its weaknesses. The only good part was that these fierce opposition to the film brought me closer to my mother," the 26-year-old said. 'Shooting Water' that was first published in Canada, also captures some candid moments from Devyani's life - her experience of first love, when she fell in love with one of the assistant directors! Devyani, who held reading sessions of her book in Vancouver, Los Angeles and New York, says the best response to her work has come from people who have grown up in multiple cultures. As regards 'Water' that has already won accolades in international film festivals and is slated for a November release in India, she says "the viewers will be blown away with a subject like this." Devyani, who now besides sharing a "happy" relationship with her mother, also shares a house with her in Toronto and Delhi, is busy with her next book - a piece of fiction on peacekeepers. Ruling out taking up films professionally, she said, "Films is not my cup of tea. Though I love watching Indian films, I do not want to make them. Books are my thing."
Article Source: http://www.share.onlypunjab.com
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