“Is Gandhi the hero?”: A Reappraisal of Gandhi’s Views about Women in Deepa Mehta’s Water

Set in 1938 against the backdrop of India’s anti-colonial movement led by Gandhi, film Water (2005) Deepa Mehta crudely exposes one most demeaning aspects patriarchal ideology Hinduism: custom condemning widows to a life self-denial and deprivation at ashrams. has remarked that figures like Gandhi have inspired people throughout ages. Nonetheless, this essay I argue under an apparent admiration for figure context emancipation India general particular, questions whether Gandhi’s doctrines about liberation women were effective or whether, on contrary, they contributed restricting private realm turning them into personifications Indian nation. In submission oppression India, did try improve their conditions though he was convinced gender is destiny women’s chastity connected national honour. Mehta’s undermines idealism presenting images him dialogues which topic. As methodological approach, propose dialogic (Bahktin 1981) reading filmic text analyses how polyphony voices praise disparage Water. will also analyse light Bakhtin’s views hero (1983) his notion “chronotope”(Bahktin 1981).