March 29, 2007	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 9, 1428

MUMBAI: A controversial Oscar-nominated film about the lives of widows in colonial India, and which outraged Hindu hardliners during its making, has failed to strike a chord among Indian audiences.

Some critics said “Water,” the story of widows and their exploitation in the past, touched a discordant note with modern audiences besotted with stories showcasing India’s economic success, not its poor and downtrodden.

“‘Water’ is refined cinema, but at the box-office the film caters to a niche audience – only those who appreciate quality cinema,” said trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

“This is not a subject that ever can be a popular entertainer.”

Set in the murky widow houses of a Hindu holy city in 1930s India, “Water” tells the story of their oppressed lives and desire to escape religious stigma through the eyes of an eight-year-old widow.

The filming of “Water” invited trouble in 2000 when angry Hindu groups stormed the sets and issued death threats to director Deepa Mehta, saying her movie was a vulgar denigration of Indian tradition and culture.

“Nobody is watching the film. It has met a quiet death,” said Avinash Kumar, a spokesman of Bajrang Dal, a hardline Hindu vigilante group. “Why should we flog a dead horse?”

“Water” – an Oscar entrant from Canada – completed Mehta’s “trilogy of elements” films that include “Earth” on India’s partition in 1947 and “Fire,” a story of female sexuality.—Reuters