We have 25 passes (one pass admits 2 people) for a special screening of Fox Searchlight's WATER. The screening is scheduled for 7:30 PM at the Uptown Palladium in Birmingham, MI next Wednesday, April 26th. The director of the film Deepa Mehta will also be present for a Q&A session after the film.

Since we have a limited number of passes, only one pass will be given per person on a first-come-first-served basis.
Collect your pass from Vidur on Saturday, April 2-5pm
ISA Office, 4302 Michigan Union
If there are still some passes left, they will be handed out on Tuesday 5-7pm,
Mujo Cafe, Duderstadt Center, North Campus

Summary:

WATER, which opened the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival, marks Deepa Mehta's third feature in her elemental trilogy following the acclaimed FIRE and EARTH. Every bit as controversial as Mehta's previous projects, production on WATER was shut down in India in 2000 following violent protests and riots by Fundamentalist Hindus and death threats to Mehta. It took nearly five years to revamp the production in Sri Lanka under an assumed name and strict secrecy.

Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power,
WATER begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence. Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

WATER stars Lisa Ray (BOLLYWOOD/HOLLYWOOD), Seema Biswas (BANDIT QUEEN) and Bollywood idol John Abraham. The role of eight-year old Chuyia is played by Sarala, a young Sri Lankan who had no prior experience in front of the camera. Additionally, Sarala spoke neither Hindi nor English and thus learned her lines phonetically. She was directed by Mehta through an interpreter and hand gestures.

One of the most acclaimed Indian movies of 2005. A truly different movie by most hindi movie standards.

Hazaaron... is a fascinating film, the work of a director who is an acknowledged master of his craft. Sudhir Mishra is in great form here - he starts with a wonderful story, builds a fast-paced screenplay, extracts superb performances from the actors, and ends up provoking the viewer in many different ways.

At one level, the film captures the essential character of its lead trio, Siddharth (Kay Kay Menon), Vikram (Shiny Ahuja), and Geeta (Chitrangda Singh). At another, it succeeds in portraying the India of the 60s and 70s - full of uncertainty, youthful energy, and idealism.

Many comparisons may be drawn with this year's hit, Rang De Basanti, which also attempts to capture the youth of India. Where RDB attempts to portray the present in all its hues, and provoke the audience into action, Hazaaron... narrates the story of a past that lies unknown to most of today's youth. A past that is vitally important to understanding and shaping the present.

Summary:
A 9-year old girl is told by her parents, that unlike her two younger brothers, she is an adopted child. Upset, she asks if she can see her real mother. Kannathil Muthamittal tells the story of the girl's search for her mother, amidst violence, disruption and change. The story moves from urban south India to rural Sri Lanka. Set in lavish locales, featuring mainstream stars, wonderful songs, and a melodramatic storyline, Kannathil could so easily be a typical bollywood film. Yet, Mani Rathnam makes it work. The acting breathes life into the characters and the narrative drive is well sustained over the two and a quarter hour length of the film. The film tugs at core emotions and has a universal appeal, posing innocent questions in the midst of a violent world.

Featuring a national-award winning musical score (A.R.Rahman), top notch cinematography (Ravi K. Chandran), and top stars from Indian cinema (Madhavan, Simran, Prakash Raj, Nandita Das), Kannathil is a winner.

This is the second in Deepa Mehta's 'Fire-Earth-Water' trilogy. Largely based on author Bapsi Sidhwa's own experiences in pre-Partition times, the story is told by the daughter of a well-to-do Parsee businessman - the precocious brace-legged Lenny. Her Hindu aayah (nanny) falls in love with a Muslim masseur which does not go down well with her other admirer (an ice-candy man). Powerfully told, it wistfully recalls love and friendship and its fragile existence as love turns to hate and friends become deadly enemies. It's a story of love that becomes impossible because of lines drawn by departing colonial rulers. The story of the small community mirrors the larger story of the Partition of British India into two countries - India and Pakistan in 1947.

Starring: Aamir Khan, Nandita Das, Rahul Khanna, Gulshan Grover, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Kitu Gidwani
(Running time: 110 min)