Two decades after its release, director Deepa Mehta reflects on the enduring legacy of 'Water', her Oscar-nominated masterpiece on the plight of widows in 1930s India. In an exclusive conversation with Variety India, Mehta reveals the "accidental" way John Abraham was cast as the lead, alongside Lisa Ray and Seema Biswas. She also shares the "lost" original cast of the film—which initially featured Akshay Kumar, Nandita Das, and Shabana Azmi before massive protests stalled the production in Varanasi.