Water opens to Indian viewers

Indian-born filmmaker Deepa Mehta's Water, which triggered violent protests and death threats when she began the filming in India five years ago, was released in theatres across India on Friday. Most audiences appreciated the works of John Abraham and Lisa Ray, the leading pair of the film and that of the child actor who played the affable character Chuhiya. Viewers in New Delhi received the film differently. The young viewers found it hard to believe the situations in the film were a reality almost a century ago. But the older generation seemed to weigh the details of the canvas against the reality of the period it is set in.