Subversion, Exploitation, and Liberation Deepa Mehta in her film Water explores and depicts questions of gender within an ashram of Hindu widows. Mehta allows for complexity to flourish within her film by exploring and disrupting ideal notions of gender within South Asia. The Hindu widows depicted in Water cannot be simply understood as passive victims of either British colonialism nor patriarchal customs. Instead, the Hindu widows within Water exhibit agency in ways that both subvert and exploit their specific positionality as widows within the ashram. While there is oppression, exploitation and trauma in the lives of these Hindu widows, there are also moments of genuine female friendship, love (both platonic and romantic), and kindness.
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In particular, Bandyopadhyay explores the failure of widow remarriage reform in Bengal. The reform efforts of Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar were successful in legalizing widow remarriage, however this legalization did not lead to social acceptance of widow remarriage. The taboo on widow remarriage was not maintained by the British colonial state, but by the colonial subjects themselves. Questions of widow remarriage cannot be understood as only concerned about the control of widows and their sexuality. Questions of widow remarriage are also deeply connected to and concerned with power through the maintenance of the caste system. The question of widow remarriage plagues Kalyani throughout the film. Kalyani struggles between her desire to be Narayan and the societal expectations placed upon her as a widow. As a widow Kalyani was expected to live as an ascetic, denying herself all of life's pleasures, to honor her deceased husband. Kalyani not only struggles with her internalized notions of gender and widowhood, but she too struggles with the reactions of those around her. Thus, as Bandyopadhyay demonstrates the legal reform regarding widow remarriage did not produce a reality in which widow remarriage was a livable or viable possibility. Kalyani ultimately attempts to not merely subvert the system of widowhood, …show more content…
In particular, Madhumati uses her positionality to exploit the other widows, specifically Kalyani and then later Chuyia. The actions of Madhumati reflect the critiques offer by Chandra Mohanty and the analysis offered by Mriducchan Da Palit on agency and the construction of gender. Both Mohanty and Palit challenge the naturalness of gender and each works to demonstrate the construction of gender. Palit’s article specifically rejects notions of passivity and victimhood as inherent and all-consuming in the lives of women: “society did not render women as utterly helpless and submissive as the conventional wisdom about women's lives in lndia holds.” Madhumati, exploits the women under her care alongside her friend a hijra named Gulabi. Gulabi trades marijuana to Madhumati in exchange for Madhumati allowing Gulabi to force Kalyani into prostitution. While a traditional interpretation of the lives of widows would likely reject this depiction of Madhumati, Mehta engages with a feminist methodology reminiscent of Mohanty. Madhumati may be socially disadvantaged due to her gender, however this disadvantage does not preclude Madhumati from acting in ways that are seeming contrary to notions of femininity or widowhood. In exploiting Kalyani, and then later Chuyia, Madhumati emerges in Water as both a “victim” of patriarchal systems, but also an active
In particular, Bandyopadhyay explores the failure of widow remarriage reform in Bengal. The reform efforts of Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar were successful in legalizing widow remarriage, however this legalization did not lead to social acceptance of widow remarriage. The taboo on widow remarriage was not maintained by the British colonial state, but by the colonial subjects themselves. Questions of widow remarriage cannot be understood as only concerned about the control of widows and their sexuality. Questions of widow remarriage are also deeply connected to and concerned with power through the maintenance of the caste system. The question of widow remarriage plagues Kalyani throughout the film. Kalyani struggles between her desire to be Narayan and the societal expectations placed upon her as a widow. As a widow Kalyani was expected to live as an ascetic, denying herself all of life's pleasures, to honor her deceased husband. Kalyani not only struggles with her internalized notions of gender and widowhood, but she too struggles with the reactions of those around her. Thus, as Bandyopadhyay demonstrates the legal reform regarding widow remarriage did not produce a reality in which widow remarriage was a livable or viable possibility. Kalyani ultimately attempts to not merely subvert the system of widowhood, …show more content…
In particular, Madhumati uses her positionality to exploit the other widows, specifically Kalyani and then later Chuyia. The actions of Madhumati reflect the critiques offer by Chandra Mohanty and the analysis offered by Mriducchan Da Palit on agency and the construction of gender. Both Mohanty and Palit challenge the naturalness of gender and each works to demonstrate the construction of gender. Palit’s article specifically rejects notions of passivity and victimhood as inherent and all-consuming in the lives of women: “society did not render women as utterly helpless and submissive as the conventional wisdom about women's lives in lndia holds.” Madhumati, exploits the women under her care alongside her friend a hijra named Gulabi. Gulabi trades marijuana to Madhumati in exchange for Madhumati allowing Gulabi to force Kalyani into prostitution. While a traditional interpretation of the lives of widows would likely reject this depiction of Madhumati, Mehta engages with a feminist methodology reminiscent of Mohanty. Madhumati may be socially disadvantaged due to her gender, however this disadvantage does not preclude Madhumati from acting in ways that are seeming contrary to notions of femininity or widowhood. In exploiting Kalyani, and then later Chuyia, Madhumati emerges in Water as both a “victim” of patriarchal systems, but also an active