M A I N   N E W S

Government stops ‘Water’ shooting
Suicide bid by Shiv Sainik

VARANASI, Feb 6 (UNI, PTI) — The state government today ordered that the shooting of Deepa Mehta’s film ‘Water’ be stopped, a few hours after it started this morning. Additional District Magistrate (Executive) N.K. Shahi served a notice on filmmaker Deepa Mehta informing her that the shooting of the film had been disallowed.

The official statement about the cancellation of shooting was not yet available.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena activist Arun Pathak, with a heavy stone tied round his waist, jumped into the Ganges and consumed some poisonous substance, Superintendent of Police (City) Ashok Jain told PTI.

Pathak was rushed to a nearby hospital where his condition was stated to be serious, Mr Jain said.

Soon after the suicide bid, activists of the Kashi Sanskriti Raksha Sangharsh Samiti (KSRSS), spearheading the campaign against “Water,” pelted stones damaging vehicles and shops at the Assi locality close to the shooting locale at Bhadini, witnesses said.

Actresses Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das, playing the roles of widows in the film which depicts the plight of widows in Varanasi, were busy shooting when the violence broke out. The two actresses and remaining members of the unit were safely escorted out of the place and taken to the hotel.

The film unit was told to pack up and leave the location at about 5.30 p.m. keeping in view the law and order situation, Mr Jain said.

Eyewitnesses said Pathak took the extreme step after his plea to the District Magistrate Alok Kumar to stop the shooting went “unheeded.”

Shops were closed in the Assi area and an angry crowd pelted stones and damaged vehicles after the news of Pathak’s suicide attempt spread, Mr Jain said.

The unit, including Mehta and actresses Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das were safely escorted out of the area and taken to their hotel by armed security personnel.

Meanwhile, Mehta and Shabana Azmi said tonight that the film unit would defy the state government’s order stopping the shooting of the film and would restart shooting on location tomorrow.

Mehta and Shabana Azmi stated they would not leave Varanasi and would complete the film “come what may”.

Mehta had earlier in the day commenced location shooting a day after she began indoor shooting at Clarks Towers hotel where the unit is staying.

Mr Jain said the situation in the city was “tense” but under control.

Some Congress activists who attempted to march towards the shooting location to demonstrate their support to the venture were detained by the police for violating prohibitory orders imposed on the city in the morning as a precautionary measure.

NEW DELHI (TNS): Protests against ‘Water’ continued in the Capital on Sunday.

Two Delhi-based social groups held demonstrations against the shooting of the film saying that it denigrated the Indian culture. “We will not allow any denigration of our culture. These films serve to destroy our ancient culture and the script should be changed as it showed our culture in poor light”, said Sukhbir Singh Agarwal, president of the Janta Sangarsh Samiti.

A small group of slogan-shouting activists of the JSS and the Bir Akali Dal held a demonstration near Red Fort, saying “we will go to Kashi if necessary if the film continued to wrongly depict the condition of the Hindu widows”.

Jathedar Atar Singh of the Bir Akali Dal criticised the film’s director Deepa Mehta for cashing in on ills of Hindu society and presenting its distorted image.