'Water' among top 10 Canadian films

Indo-Canadian director Deepa Mehta's film 'Water', which received accolades with its recent North American premiere, has been listed among the top ten Canadian films of 2005. The Toronto International Film Festival Group (TIFFG) announced the list of the chosen movies on December 13 at the annual Top Ten industry event. Lisa Ray, who co-hosted the event with actor Brent Carver said she was overwhelmed by the public and industry response to "Water". "I miss the white sari that I wore for three months," she told the audience, recalling the shooting of 'Water'. The film, set in 1938 colonial India, depicts the plight of widows and the injustice meted out to women. Mehta wanted to shoot the film in Varanasi but had to shift the location to Sri Lanka after protests from local religious groups. Apart from Ray, the film stars actor John Abraham. Ray, who has featured in a few Hindi films, said she has called it quits in Bollywood. "I have made this conscious decision," Ray said. "I have had my share of Bollywood."

The Indo-Canadian actress said she was currently busy promoting 'Water' in the US. "I have several upcoming projects here in North America... mostly modelling projects," Ray, a former Miss India who began her career as a model and then turned to acting, said about her future plans.