Was there a mass movement against Water in Varanasi?
There was no mass sentiment against Deepa Mehta. Just a few dozen people were part of the protest, but they drove her out and managed a successful Varanasi bandh. They whipped up a frenzy by misinforming the public. Had the common people been made aware of the truth, they’d have supported Deepa.
Have you seen the script?
Of course.I met Deepa on the evening of February 4. Sheoji Upadhyay, spokesman of the Kashi Vidwat Parishad, was also there at the meeting where we read the script. I read out all the 128 pages, not skipping a single line. The script’s in English, the margins have markings in Hindi. Upadhyay pointed out certain portions he wanted Deepa to change. She changed them there and then.
Was there anything objectionable?
I found nothing objectionable in the script. Everything - our culture, the widows, the Ganga - has been respectably presented.
But the protesters’ script has a line saying "all widows in Varanasi are prostitutes".
I haven’t seen any such line in the script Deepa gave me.
What was your reaction to the script?
I was moved. The entry of a child widow into the home had tears rolling down my cheeks. Deepa has an excellent ability to touch the human chord. People should understand Water’s not Ganga; Deepa symbolises the flow of life through it.
Was she justified in not going public with the script?
Yes. To do so would’ve been against the ethics of film-making.
Do you agree with the portrayal of widows in the script?
There’s little doubt that widows in the 1930s were ill-treated. Deepa, through her story, has brought out such truths.
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