Water

A group of widows struggle to combat the societal restrictions placed upon them.

A child bride loses her husband and is taken to an ashram, which houses widows, pariahs in traditional Hindu society. The women are forced to carry out their lives in an ascetic manner. Forbidden to love or mix with the community, they must use their time only to work and pray. The film profiles a few of these women: Kalyani (Lisa Ray), finds love in a handsome activist (John Abraham) and tries to break free from her lonely life; Chuyia (Sarala), a vivacious child, gets into mischief and struggles to understand her circumstances; the enigmatic Shakuntala (Seema Biswas), who appears to have given up all hope until something is awakened in her. Kulbushan Kharbanda and Manorama also star in this final segment of Deepa Mehta’s trilogy, which includes Fire and Earth.