Part 2 - Final

First of all, the film Water (2005) very clearly mirrors the myth of Krishna and Radha: the story between the god (Krishna) and the poor, milkmaid (Radha) who begin a forbidden love affair. Their love was frowned upon by society, and yet they continue to have a complicated love affair despite not being able to spend much time alone together. This is precisely how the love affair between Kalyani and Narayan is in the film Water. Kalyani, a young widow, is seen as a low-class beggar. She is treated with disrespect; it is definitely frowned upon for a widow to fall in love and even worse to consider re-marrying. However, she inadvertently falls in love with a charming, intellectual of a higher class, Narayan. Although they have few interactions in the film, their love is strong and they decide to run off and get married. In the end, their differences in class are too overpowering, and Kalyani takes her life. This film takes a strong political view on the treatment of widows in India and how the caste system still strongly impacts life and love in the country. A similar story can be seen in the film Titanic (1997). Aside from the historical significance, the film follows the fictional love story of Jack, a poor young man from America, and Rose, the wealthy daughter of a high-class family. They begin an “improper” love affair in spite of their differences in class.

There are many similarities regarding these two films. The first is clearly the class system and how it can affect love. In Water, Kalyani is supposed to live her young, beautiful years as a prostitute in order to provide the fellow widows in the ashram money to survive. She is trapped in this role to live as not only a poor widow, looked down upon by society, but also as a prostitute. The female character in Titanic, Rose, is the one in the higher class, but is in a similar situation of feeling trapped. Her mother wants her to marry a rich man in order for her and her family to remain in a high class. The sense of the woman being “trapped” in both films is a strong message to the treatment of women throughout history. (But that’s a whole other tangent!) In addition to the women, the men appear to both be independent and blind to the class system. Narayan is a supporter of Gandhi and the “new-age” thinking of better treatment of women, and the idea of marrying a widow does not alter his feelings for Kalyani. Similarly, Jack knows he does not have much to offer Rose, but does not let this overpower his feelings and he continues to pursue her.

The impact of the class system does unintentionally cause the tragic demise of both relationships. Kalyani takes her life because she cannot face the reality of marrying the son of a man who had played a role in her prostitution, and Jack and Rose are unable to get onto a life-saving boat because Jack is from a low class. He ends up freezing in the frigid water and drowning. I found it interesting that both Kalyani and Jack die in water. This ties in the symbolism of water within the Indian culture and mythology. The film Water specifically ties in a great deal of the symbolism of water in Indian culture, and water is the center of the story of Titanic.

Lastly, there is a strong visual tie between the myth of Krishna and Radha and the films Water and Titanic. In all three stories, there is a beautiful, independent woman, a strong, handsome man, and water. A common theme in films is that love is beautiful and that it can be found in even the most difficult and unassuming situations. This is seen between the forbidden loves of all three couples and the beauty within these individuals and their love for one another.

All in all, mythology plays an immense role in the development of new ideas for story and film. It is an important part of cultures around the world and as the world evolves and changes, the tradition and mythology is seen as both a constant within a culture, but also finds ways to change and evolve right alongside the culture.