Deepa Mehta's Trilogy

Yesterday, mid sems got over and I set myself on a movie journey. Unlike most of my friends, I prefer Indian movies and hence I chose Deepa Mehta who makes meaningful movies addressing social issues.


The first one was "Fire". This one disappointed me a little, the lesbian relationship between Nandita and Shabana seems to be exaggerated. The issue of the status of woman in Male-dominated indian society needs to be addressed. But, the character of Nandita seems to be very much rebellious and confused. Why does not she raise a hue and cry when she finds her husband to be cheating on her?? Was she more interested in pursuing a lesbo with Shabana? In fact, the whole movie seems to be filled with creeps who are obsessed about sex. Whether it is Javed Jaffrey about his gf, the servant "Mundu" always busy in searching an oppurtunity to masterbate or the two ladies eager to satisfy their lesbian lust. To sum up, this movie seems to be a cheap ploy to create a furore by Shiv sainiks.

The second one was "Earth". The movie has captivating performances from Amir Khan, Rahul Khanna and Nadita Das. The director succesfully delineates a story capturing the prevalent religious intolerance in the Indian society. Deepa also portrays the age old fact "Love knows no bounds" with a small scene between Rahul and Nandita, no sizzlers. The villain played by Amir in the end shows the cheap selfishness of humans, it also shows the venegeance of a refuted lover, the anger of a lost warrior. The small girl played by Maia Sethna shows that age has nothing to do with acting abilities. Deepa aptly uses her as a narrator and her perspective of the story as a small child seems innocent and impartial. In total, an excellent movie capturing the human emotions in the setting of Indian society.


The last one was "Water". Indeed, the actors in this movie were not the usual Nanditas and Shabanas, so used to playing meaningful roles but John Abraham and Lisa Ray, two famous models who entered the film industry and have often suffered criticism for poor acting. But, in this movie, they seems to be defying every accusation levied on them earlier. John Abraham tries to do justice to the role of Narayana, a passive nationalist quite contrary to his macho playboy image. And, Lisa ray too seems to be anything but a sex doll. She plays the role of a widow, someone who is filled with energy and freshness like a rain. She displays an innocence and enthusiasm of youth with a touch of a child residing in the body of a scintillating beauty. But, the best actor of the movie turns out to be the young prodigy "Sarala" who leaves an indelible imprint in your mind in her role as a young widow. She implores you to question the society for her misfortune, her childish rebel and tantrums make her all the more loveable. This movie urges you to take your foot forward and move ahead to free the woman from the shackles of the society.

With this trilogy of earth, fire and water, Deepa seems to be getting better everyday. Looking forward to see more such movies in future.