After years of delay caused by (among other things) politically-motivated vandals and protesters, director Deepa Mehta has completed the third portion of her "Elements" film trilogy, "Water." In India, protesters burned down several theaters for screening "Fire," the first installment of her controversial series, for its theme of forbidden romance between two women trapped in unsatisfying arranged marriages. 1998's "Earth" dealt with similarly incendiary Hindu-Muslim culture clashes and forced resettlement in the wake of Britain's departure from colonial India. In that film, a horrifying scene of a man being drawn and quartered by horsepull mirrors the violent rending apart of that nation into modern-day India and Pakistan.

"Water" premieres tonight in Chicago at Piper's Alley, and at Evanston's CineArts 6 theater. More details at NPR affiliate WBEZ Chicago online.

Mehta’s daughter, Devyani Saltzman, will discuss "Water" and her book about the process, Shooting Water at the Women & Children First bookstore at 5233 N. Clark Street, Chicago on Tuesday, May 9 at 7:30 pm.

Google Movies Showtimes for "Water" in Chicago
Her new project? A Pinglish film [India Times]
WaPo: "The Churning Mind of Deepa Mehta"

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