Talks may save Water -- Film folk
SABYASACHI BANDOPADHYAY

CALCUTTA, FEB 8: Eminent film personalities from Calcutta today said a dialogue between Deepa Mehta, who is facing immense opposition from Hinduvta hawks at Varanasi over the shooting of her film Water, and her critics be started soon to break the impasse over the film.

``I wrote to Home Minister L.K. Advani the day after the vandalism on the sets of Water took place on December 31,'' eminent filmmaker Mrinal Sen told this reporter. ``I wrote `the vandalism that took place at Varanasi on Sunday reminded me of a consistent assault on culture perpetrated in the '40s and '50s in the US by the House of Un-American Activities supported by the infamous KKK. If to be controversial is not a crime and most certainly it is not why then should the Uttar Pradesh government create such an unwholesome situation at the Varanasi Ghat where Deepa Mehta and her team find it difficult to shoot the third part of her important but seemingly controversial trilogy? If it is felt that a dialogue even after the clearance (forshooting the film) has reportedly been obtained from the competent authority should be started, it is desired that such a dialogue be held immediately in a civilised atmosphere'.''

The celebrated filmmaker also said that at the outset he had thought that Mehta was being optimistic, but when he came to know shooting was started he was quite happy. ``But after Sunday's incident I feel thoroughly confused,'' Sen said. ``I think the governments both at the Centre and Uttar Pradesh should declare that the mob has taken over the administration, which is a big shame,'' he said.

Sen also rued the fact that filmmakers, unlike those who pursue other forms of art like painting or writing, give publicity to their works even before or during the shooting of their films. ``You get to see the work of a painter when it's over. The contents of a literary work can only be known after it's written. Why then should a filmmaker go about town telling the world about the contents of his or her film? It may create unnecessaryproblems for the filmmaker,'' Sen said.

The other film personality who recommended a dialogue between the beleagured filmmaker and her opponents was actor Victor Banerjee. The actor who has worked in films like A Passage to India, Shatranj Ke Khilari and Ghare Baire, said that Mehta should enter into a dialogue with her detractors to achieve a breakthrough.

``Nobody should be debarred from doing his or her creative work as it is the artist's fundamental right. But here, in this case, I think to get out of the deadlock Mehta has to be a little more practical and solve the problem through a dialogue,'' Banerjee, who contested the 1991 parliamentary elections as a BJP candidate, said.

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