This is the third in the trilogy by Deepa Mehta completing her series Fire (1998) and Earth (1999).

It took almost five years to put the production of Water back together after threats, violence and disruption in India because of the opposition of fundamentalist Hindus where the story raises serious issues about the traditional role of women in society, it was finally shot in Sri Lanka under an assumed name and a strict code of secrecy.

"The film has serious, challenging things to say about the crushing of women by atrophied religious and social dogmas, but, to its great credit, it tells its story from inside its characters, rounding out the human drama of their lives, and unforgettably touching the heart." - Salman Rushdie