Cultural Perspective of Water

The use of water in the film "water" had lots of religious connotations. In literature the fact that water is used / mentioned symbolizes cleansing, life, and freedom but the type (body) of water is equally as important. In this film the main source is the Ganga River. This river has been important to the Hindu religion for millennia. It is seen as a living entity, a goddess. It is worshipped and highly regarded. Moreover, in general literary terms rivers represent the flow of life and fertility, constant movement, and the character following a distinct path. In the film water represented freedom and cleansing for the main character Kalyani when she decided to commit suicide by drowning herself in the river. By doing so she was able to free herself from her life of misery. In the Hindu culture it is customary to cremate the body in order to detach the soul from the body so it can properly reincarnate. Kalyani didn't have a chance to do this first of all because she could not afford it but I think it was symbolic of her cleaning her body from the dirtiness it accumulated from the way she was forced to use it, namely prostitution.