Deepa Mehta’s iconic Water completed 20 years recently. Starring Lisa Ray and John Abraham, the movie told the story of a widow. On the film’s 20th anniversary, Ray looked back at it in an interview with us.
It’s been 20 years since Deepa Mehta’s Water. You are still fondly remembered as the fragile incandescent widow Kalyani. How do you recall Kalyani?
Kalyani is by far one of the most beloved characters I’ve had the opportunity to create. When Deepa Mehta sent me the script, I was in drama school in London. Once she entrusted me with Kalyani, I realised one thing.
What is that?
I could not ‘act’ my way into her being. I had to become Kalyani and I dedicated myself over many months of prep into attaining her walk, her posture, her way of seeing the world through intense workshops and visiting Vrindavan. Once I reached Sri Lanka to film, I wore a simple cotton sari and never changed. It was magical to fully immerse myself and find the Kalyani hidden in the depths of my psyche.
Were you surprised when Deepa offered you this role? No one could imagine you would do justice to such a traditional Indian character. But you did!
Thank you. Deepa and I have a strong and unusual relationship you might say that goes beyond director or mentor. She saw something in me before I recognised it fully myself. And when I enrolled in a serious drama school in London after turning down many offers and post several successful film releases, she felt I had the dedication to pull it off.
Water is not the only film you did with Deepa. What is she like as a director and a friend? Is it easier to collaborate with a female director than a male?
I don’t see it in terms of gender, but human being. Deepa and I had a special bond from the start- and I am utterly a director’s actor. I prefer to surrender to a director, and I trust Deepa’s vision.
Do you recall incidents from the shooting of Water, which have stayed with you?
Many many! We were a very bonded crew – though the subject matter was heavy, we kept it light behind the scenes. There were zero egos at play. I do recall that one game we enjoyed was tugging at John’s elaborately tied dhoti every time I passed by, which entailed him gathering the pleats and running to have it tied again.
Tell me about your life at this point of time? What are the activities that occupy your mind the most? What is it like dividing your time between being a wife/mother and a professional?
I am an advocate for hormonal wellness in menopausal women- after suffering silently we are done. We need to talk about menopause as the transition into a women’s wisdom during her primetime years. In India, women need access to choices and solutions like HRT (hormone replacement theory) and I have co-founded NuHer, a platform for women’s midlife care. I am busier than ever but doing what I believe in- health awareness talks and appearances and the occasional project that I enjoy like Four More Shots Please. I guard my private life as private.
How often do you visit India? Do you have family and friends here? Do you think of yourself as an Indian at heart?
Of course, I’m Indian in every way. But in midlife as a woman, I have stopped explaining myself or seeking any validation. That’s what makes midlife women both powerful and threatening to society. We are accomplished and have nothing to prove. My family and I live peacefully in Goa. With gratitude and in serenity.
The post 20 years of Water: Lisa Ray on working with Deepa Mehta, “She saw something in me before I recognised it fully myself” appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.
