Water and Kalahani - Obstacles to Establishment of the Truth - Movie Review Example

Obstacles to Establishment of the Truth Obstacles to Establishment of the Truth The truth is rare and never simple, as a result, many people aim at concealing it. In the modern day, various communities thrive on falsehood and manipulation. Similarly, the past generations also lived on lies and exploitations. As a result, women and children suffered due to these unethical practices from men. Therefore, various artists and movie directors came up with creative and exciting films revealing the numerous obstacles to establishing truth in the society. In addition, they also show the effect of lies on various community members. The perfect examples of these movies are Water and Kalahani. These two films give numerous obstacles to the establishment of truth in the society and provide the effects and purpose of lies by various community members. The movie Water reveals different acts of unfairness and gender inequality in the Indian community. Women are poorly treated and subjected to various acts of injustice by the community members. Moreover, women’s quest for truth and clarification on various issues and practices are met with harsh responses. Both political and religious leaders in the community are not ready to be questioned on various issues or practices in the community. In the film Water, Chuyia’s attempt to learn and know the truth is thwarted by various people in the society. For instance, Chuyia asks a certain religious leader why only widows and not widowers are secluded from the rest of the community members. According to Levin (2012), she receives harsh responses and verbal abuses from fellow women. Through this scene, it is evident that religion and traditions have been manipulated to brainwash women. Consequently, the community thrives on lies that support social injustices and gender inequality in the society. Moreover, Mehta also reveals that establishing the truth is a difficult task in the Hindu community. Some Indians manipulate both traditions and religion to conceal facts from their friends or family members. In the film Water, Narayan’s father hides the truth from his son. Narayan learns that his father sleeps with various prostitutes in the city such as Kalyan (Levin, 2012). He confronts his father about the issue, but he defends himself as he states that their cultural and traditional norms allow men to sleep with numerous women in the society. Moreover, he claims that sleeping with widowed women such as Kalyan is a way of elevating them because the act makes such women command massive respect and become valuable people in the community. Through such explanations, it proves difficult for community members to get the truth. A majority of them end up convinced with lies by perpetrators of evil acts in the community. The movie Kalahani also supports the claim that there are numerous obstacles to establishing the truth in various societies around the world. Vaidya’s attempts to locate her husband and find his whereabouts are halted by various drawbacks. In the movie, Vidya finds a vital clue on her husband’s where about through a lady named Agnes. Agnes agrees to help her find her husbands by providing important information (Adarsh, 2012). Before Agnes helps Vidya, she is killed by an unknown assassin. The death of Agnes robs Vidya a useful and valuable source of information. As a result, her quest to establish the truth and find her husband is halted. Through this film, it is evident that establishing truth and getting justice is a hard task in various communities around the world. Those trying to establish the truth always face numerous challenges. Moreover, various people seeking to establish the truth also face threats, intimidations, and warnings from both leaders, citizens, and law enforcers. Through warnings and intimidation, these people aim at concealing the truth from many community members. In the film Kalahani, Vidya receives numerous warning from the Intelligence Bureau in New Delhi. These people warn her against searching Damji’s files (Adarsh, 2012). According to Vidya, these files are useful and relevant to establishing the truth of her husband’s whereabouts. Therefore, it is obvious that law enforcers in New Delhi aim at thwarting Vidya’s attempts to locate her husband by warning her against searching for the Damji’s files. Vidya tries to find Demji’s files despite the numerous warnings from law enforcers. It shows her commitment and desire to expose the truth and find her husband. Equally important, some people also attempt to hide the truth by assassinating those trying to reveal it. They do this as a way of permanently silencing truth seekers and letting various matters rest. In the movie Kalahani, the truth seeker, Vidya, life is in danger. According to Adarsh (2012), an unknown assassin, is sent to kill Vidya and get rid Damji’s files. Although his does not succeed in his mission, his intention is clear. He tries to murder Vidya as a way of silencing her and hiding the truth that is her husband`s whereabouts. This act is common in various countries around the world. Thus, establishing the truth on various matters proves a difficult task for a number of people in the society. Many people shy away from establishing due to the number of risks involved. Most communities thrive on falsehood. As a result, this act has detrimental effects on various community members. It promotes social ills, unfairness, and gender inequality. The perfect example is evident in the movie Water. Women are subjected to different practices and rituals in the community without their consent. Most of them are convinced through lies that these are what the traditions and religion demands of them. All widows are confined in an ashram and shaved. They have no idea why they are shaved and why they are in such environments. For example, Chuyia does not understand why she is shaved on her arrival at an Ashram (McNeil, 2014). Both her family members and the elderly women in the ashram conceals the truth from her. Consequently, they subject her to a ritual without her consent. Due to her ignorance, she accepts and becomes bald headed. Most societies hide the truths from their compatriots to infringe on their rights and satisfy the traditions and rituals of the community. Moreover, Chuyia is also forbidden from dressing normal, but instead the community demands her to wear a white tunic. They also force her to get rid of her bracelets as they are against the norms of the community since she is widowed. Through the character Chuyia, Mehta manages to reveal the social ills among the Indian communities around the world that result from lies and ignorance of community members In conclusion, establishing the truth is a difficult task that has numerous drawbacks. The two movies Water and Kalahani give perfect and relevant examples of the obstacles various people face to know the truth. In the film Water, Mehta says that many Indian communities hide the truth from women and kids for their benefits. Moreover, these people manipulate religion and cultural practices to hide the truth and support their evil acts. People who seek the truth are met with the harsh response and verbal abuses from a number of community members. Equally important, the film Kalahani also supports the claim that finding the truth and seeking justice proves a difficult task. Various people who try to establish the truth face numerous obstacles such as death threats and blackmail. From the two movies, it is evident that it is an uphill task to establish the truth. Consequently, many people shy away due to the risks involved. Although it is a risky exercise, people should strive to expose the truth since it serves to exonerate the community from various social injustice and unfair treatment. References Adarsh, T. (2012, March 8). Kahaani Review. Retrieved from http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/moviemicro/criticreview/id/542221 Levin, A. (2012, July 5). Deepa Mehta’s ‘​Water’ and Homegrown Indian Feminism by Amy Levin | on WordPress.com. Retrieved from http://feminismandreligion.com/2012/07/05/deepa-mehtas-%E2%80%8Bwater-and-homegrown-indian-feminism-by-amy-levin/ McNeil, C. (2014, October 24). Deepa Mehta: Making Water under fire. Metro. Retrieved from http://metronews.ca/scene/1192753/deepa-mehta-making-water-under-fire/ Read More