Water was a bold and daring project for John Abraham. At that stage in his career, he was often seen as just a hunky actor, typically landing roles that emphasized his physique. However, the film directed by Deepa Mehta portrayed him as an ordinary guy in a historical context. It even made it to the Oscars, and John shared that he received accolades from Hollywood legends like Steven Spielberg and Charlize Theron.

John Abraham talks about the compliments he's received for Water

In a chat with BookMyShow's YouTube channel, John opened up about his difficulty in receiving praise for his acting in India, even though he's been recognized abroad. His 2005 film, Water, was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category, with John starring alongside Lisa Ray and Seena Biswas. Looking back on their experience at the Academy Awards that year, John shared, “At the awards, I had the privilege of meeting Steven Spielberg, who really appreciated my work in Water, while it barely got noticed back home. I also remember Charlize Theron mentioning how much she admired what I was doing, but it seemed like no one here was talking about it.”

Everything You Need to Know About Deepa Mehta's Water

Water, set in 1938, explores the lives of widows in Varanasi. It's the last film in Deepa Mehta's Elements trilogy, following Fire and 1947: Earth. The movie debuted at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was celebrated with the Opening Night Gala. It eventually hit theaters in India in 2007 and was Canada's official submission for the Oscars in 2006.

Initially, the film was supposed to feature Shabana Azmi, Akshay Kumar, and Nandita Das. However, when filming started in Varanasi, the sets were vandalized by protesters, causing a halt in production. Deepa Mehta had previously faced backlash for her earlier film, Fire, which tackled same-sex relationships. As a result, Water was put on hold and later revived with a new cast as an Indo-Canadian collaboration.

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