Deepa Mehta Water Essay

In the beginning scene of Deepa Mehta’s film Water, the film begins with a long shot across the brightly sunlit lake that is littered with green leaves and sparkling water. The scene shows rolling fields of green grass. The greenery and colour in the scene illustrates life and happiness in a positive way. Chuyia is dressed in red clothing and is adorned in golden jewellery. The jewellery is a symbol suggesting that she is from a fairly affluent family. The music grows and intensifies as the scene unfolds on the peaceful scene.

As the opening scene progresses, the mood changes from upbeat and brightly lit to sombre and dark. The setting sun, signalling the end of the day, is symbolic for the ending of a life in the form of Chuyia’s husband’s death. The music changes to a dark and tense note when Chuyia’s husband dies. A close up camera angle is used to capture the image of the tragedy that strikes her husband. A close up shot of Chuyia’s feet shows all her
ankle jewellery has been taken off her and she is forced to wear a white sari in place of her bright coloured clothes she wore before the death of her older husband. The white sari is a symbolic clothing item for widows in India as it was not custom to continue wearing coloured clothes after the death of your husband. Chuyia’s previously long hair is shaved as that is tradition when one becomes widowed.

The closing scene in the film involves Ghandi coming to the area in which the widow’s refuge is.
As Didi takes Chuyia to the train station where Ghandi is for a short time, a close up camera shot of Chuyia’s face shows her crestfallen expression after previous tragic events she was forced to endure. At the train station, a wide camera angle shows the many people who have turned up for the chance to see Ghandi. Using this camera angle, we are able to see that many of them are dressed in the regularly reoccurring colour of white in the film. In this case, the white represents purity and rebirth. As in the beginning scene of the film, the music is powerful and hopeful as the train departs from the station and Didi hands Chuyia over to Narayan who has boarded the train. Ghandi is symbolic as a chance for a new start for those who need it and Didi believes the best place for Chuyia to grow up is with those who support Ghandi. A close up of Didi’s face illustrates her heartbreak as she says goodbye to
Chuyia.

Much like the opening scene of the film, the field that the train departs into is bright green and full of life, the sun is shining vibrantly. This is a symbol of rejuvenation of life and a new beginning.