[quote] In January 2000 Ms. Mehta was forced to shut down production of “Water” in Varanasi, one of India’s holy cities on the banks of the Ganges, after Hindu nationalists protested that the film was anti-Hindu. Some 500 demonstrators took to the streets, ransacked the set and burned Ms. Mehta in effigy. She appealed to the state government for help, but fearing more violence, local officials asked the film crew to leave.
“In retrospect,” Ms. Mehta said in a director’s statement that accompanies the release of the film, ” ‘Water’ reflected what was taking place in India in some form or other: the rise of Hindu fundamentalism and high intolerance for anything or anybody that viewed it with skepticism. Therefore, we were a soft and highly visible target.”
Ms. Mehta was not able to resurrect “Water” until four years later, and only then in neighboring Sri Lanka, where she shot under a fake title, “Full Moon,” so as not attract attention. …
Ms. Mehta, 55, is no stranger to Hindu protests. Her 1996 film about a lesbian relationship, “Fire,” the first in a trilogy, enraged fundamentalists in India, who burned down movie theaters. … [end quote]
Film Ignites the Wrath of Hindu Fundamentalists – New York Times.
Leave a Reply