MUMBAI, India (AP) _ The Oscar-nominated Canadian movie "Water" will be shown in cinemas across India later this month, seven years after angry Hindu nationalists stormed the sets and forced its Indian-born director to stop filming. This time, distributors say, they don’t foresee any trouble.
"We plan to release the film on Feb. 23 in theatres across the country," Sanjay Bhutiani, the film’s distributor, said Wednesday. He had earlier said it would be released in March.
The film’s Indian-born director, Deepa Mehta, had to abandon shooting of the film in 2000 after Hindu nationalists, who alleged it was anti-Hindu, destroyed sets in the holy city of Varanasi.
The Toronto-based Mehta resumed shooting the film in Sri Lanka four years later.
"We are trying to get Deepa Mehta to visit India for the film’s release," Bhutiani said. "We don’t expect any trouble."
"Water" has been nominated for an Academy Award in the best foreign language film category. The film, shot mainly in the Hindi language, centres on a home where widows were sent by their families to live in social exile. It depicts their desire to live a life free of stigma.
Under ancient Hindu tradition, widows were considered bad luck and sometimes even blamed for their husband’s death. Remarriage of widows was frowned upon _ although there were no such social barriers for widowers.
The Oscars will be presented Feb. 25 in Los Angeles.
