Amnesty International USA supports "Water"

Amnesty International USA is proud to announce its support of "Water,"
a film directed by the courageous and provocative filmmaker Deepa Mehta.
"Water" is the profoundly moving and compellingly vibrant story of India’s “widow houses,” where women of all ages are taken to live (even today) apart from society following the deaths of their husbands.
Sprinkled with humor, rife with universal emotions and alive with visual excitement, the story of WATER follows three widows who dared to stand up for themselves in the liberating time of Mahatma Gandhi.
Watch the trailer. »
About "Water"
The story of WATER begins in 1938 India when an 8 year old girl, who barely even remembers her wedding and has little comprehension of her marriage, has just been widowed. Required by ancient Hindu laws to now leave society, the girl Chuyia is brought to a dilapidated widow house or ashram where, according to custom, her hair will be shorn, her clothes exchanged for white robes and the rest of her life will be spent in renunciation. But the feisty, precocious, disbelieving Chuyia (SARALA) soon turns the house upside down with her rebellious spark. She begins to have a profound effect on the other women who live there, in particular the devout Shakuntula (SEEMA BISWAS) and the beautiful Kalyani (LISA RAY), who has been forced into prostitution by the domineering head widow, Madhumati (MANORMA).
It is Chuyia who leads Kalyani to meet the alluring law student and Gandhi nationalist Narayan (JOHN ABRAHAM), with whom Kalyani falls in love, despite the taboos. What happens next – an attempt at escape fueled by passion and bravery -- will change Chuyia forever and bring both tragedy and an unexpected ray of hope to the widow house.

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An estimated 2,000 women, children and men, were killed in days after the Feb 28, 2002 train attack at Godhra railway station. Most of the people killed were Muslims. Urge Indian authorities to to bring to justice those responsible for the crimes, including crimes of sexual violence and gender based discrimination. Take action. »

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