When John Abraham's Performance In 'Water' Was Praised By Steven Spielberg: 'No One Here Even....'

John Abraham’s role in Water was a significant departure from the action-packed and glamorous roles he was known for early in his career.

John Abraham starred in Deepa Mehta's 2005 film Water.

Source : YouTube

John Abraham’s role in Water was a significant departure from the action-packed and glamorous roles he was known for early in his career. At a time when he was largely seen as a Bollywood heartthrob, Deepa Mehta’s film cast him in a more understated, layered role in a period setting.

The 2005 film, which explored the struggles of widows in 1938 Varanasi, went on to receive international acclaim and was even nominated for an Academy Award. John recently shared that while the film didn’t receive much recognition in India, Hollywood legends like Steven Spielberg and Charlize Theron appreciated his performance.

John Abraham on receiving praise for Water

In a conversation with BookMyShow's YouTube channel, John reflected on how he often struggles to get compliments for his performances in India, despite earning appreciation overseas. Speaking about his experience at the Academy Awards, where Water was nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category, he said, "When I went to the awards, I had the honour of meeting Steven Spielberg, and he loved my performance in Water, whereas no one here even saw it for a day. I remember Charlize Theron talking to me and saying that, 'I loved what you were processing, but no one here talked about that.’”

 

The journey of Deepa Mehta’s Water

The final installment in Deepa Mehta’s Elements trilogy (following Fire and 1947: Earth), Water had a tumultuous journey before its release. The film was initially set to star Shabana Azmi, Akshay Kumar, and Nandita Das, but faced severe protests when filming began in Varanasi. The sets were vandalised, forcing the production to shut down.

Deepa Mehta had previously faced backlash for her film Fire, which dealt with same-sex relationships, and Water became another target of controversy. Years later, the project was revived with a new cast, including John Abraham, Lisa Ray, and Seema Biswas, as an Indo-Canadian collaboration.

The film premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival as the Opening Night Gala and was eventually released in India in 2007. It went on to become Canada’s official entry to the Oscars in 2006.