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'Water' shooting resumes amid protests, confusion

The shooting of the controversial film Water resumed in Varanasi today amidst much confusion and protests by a section of the Sangh Parivar.

While a spokesman of the Uttar Pradesh government said in Lucknow that the police are providing security to the film's crew and cast, producer David Hamilton told reporters, "We are receiving only lip service. We still do not have the administration's support to go ahead with our outdoor shooting."

Though the Kashi Vidwat Parishad, a forum of Varanasi's intellectuals, is understood to have given its go-ahead to the revised script of the film, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad is still opposing it tooth and nail.

Thus, even though shooting began within the precincts of the hotel where the production unit is lodged, demonstrations and protests continued outside, with VHP secretary general Ashok Singhal vowing never to allow the film to be made.

Singhal told reporters in Varanasi, "This film, which seeks to show the most ancient Hindu city and the holy Ganga in poor light, will not be allowed to be shot anywhere in India. Let Deepa Mehta go and shoot the film in Canada from where she brought the production and camera team."

Earlier, the KVP, which had spearheaded the campaign against the movie, changed track after going through the script last night at a meeting sponsored by the district administration.

The meeting, which began at about 2100 IST on Friday, continued till late after midnight and ended with the KVP representative, Shivji Upadhyaya, getting convinced that there was nothing objectionable in the revised script.

Evidently, it was the well-known environmentalist, engineering professor and mahant of Varanasi's famous Sankat Mochan temple, Veerbhadra Misra, who softened the KVP on the issue.

Misra, who was rated by Time as one of the seven heroes of the planet for his exemplary work in launching a cleaning operation for the Ganga, has described the revised script as "not onjectionable at all". Misra was also present at the late-night meeting in Varanasi.

But the filmmaker and her team are chagrined by the uncertainty that continues to dog the film. A top spokesman of the government preferred to keep mum on the issue. He said, "The matter is for the chief minister to decide."

Chief Minister Ram Prakash Gupta was, however, unavailable for comment as he was busy presiding over the premiere show of the Madhuri Dikshit-Anil Kapoor starrer Pukar in the city.

Earlier, in New Delhi, RSS deputy general secretary K S Sudershan told Mehta that the Sangh was not behind the protests and the demonstrators in Varanasi were "misguided, misinformed people".

According to Mehta, "What I was told in the papers was that they [the demonstrators] were supported by the RSS. I went to meet the RSS leader to find out if it was true. Mr Sudershan gave me his assurance that they are not behind this."

Defending her script, she said, "I know with total and complete honesty that there is nothing that denigrates Kashi. It is absolute misinterpretation... The film is progressive, about women taking responsibility for themselves and saying that you cannot do this to me any more. If you take it out of context, you can make anything out of anything."

In an interview to a television channel, she maintained that she had read many books on the subject, including T N Kitchloo's Widows in India, before making the film. "You cannot make a film like this without doing research."

She denied having bowed to cultural terrorism by agreeing to some cuts and said she had only agreed to delete a few words. "Because this is a gesture. If it is offending the people of Varanasi, I am sympathetic to what you feel."

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