The Elements Trilogy

This chapter reviews Deepa Mehta's elements trilogy: Fire (1996), Earth (1998), and Water (2005). Both Fire and Earth are discussed in some detail while the focus of the chapter remains with the final film Water, which can be considered as Mehta's greatest achievement to date. Water is arguably also one of the most controversial films to have been made by an Indian film-maker since it addresses the religiously sensitive issue of Hindu widows. Due to the bulk of financing originating from Canada, Water is labelled as a Canadian film, thus complicating Mehta's position as an Indian film-maker. Residing in Canada, Mehta is part of the Indian diaspora. The chapter approaches the trilogy from an ideological perspective, exploring the politics of sexuality in Fire and the politics of nationalism in Earth. It looks at Water in terms of its controversial production history, its depiction of Hindu widows, and the interaction of ideology and politics.