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NEW DEHLI, India, May 3, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- The director of "Water," a movie about an 8-year-old widow in 1938 India, said she hopes her new film sparks discussion, not protests among Hindus.
The movie has been in the works since 2000, when Hindus protested its theme by destroying the set in Indian holy city Varanasi and burning director Deepa Mehta in effigy.
Mehta shot the film in Sri Lanka under a fake name to complete the tale in which the heroine, Chuyia, rebels against being banished because her husband died.
"In retrospect, 'Water' reflected ... the rise of Hindu fundamentalism and high intolerance for anything or anybody that viewed it with skepticism," Mehta said in a statement.
"I think it's slightly naive for me to think that films make a difference," Mehta told The New York Times. "But what it can do is start a dialogue and provoke discussion."
As for the possibility of protests when the movie opens in India in July, Mehta said, "I don't want to think about it. I hope it all works out."
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
