Shekhar Kapur's 'Paani' to seek solution for water shortage

Announcing this here, Kapur said his movie will dramatise how this shortage will affect relationships among individuals, cities, states and nations. The beautiful young daughter of the chairman of the world's largest water corporation arrives in the upper city of plentiful. On a chance encounter in the impoverished city, she is kidnapped by the young water warrior.

A love story that changes minds and methods, "Paani" will be set to music by Oscar-winning composer A R Rahman. Kapur said that water could well become a weapon in the future with corporates taking over its distribution. "This is what I hope my work will draw attention to, provoke a debate and hopefully help find a solution to this grave problem," he said.

When asked whether it could help catch the eye of the politicians, Kapur quipped that his film "Bandit Queen" did manage to do that as the film's protagonist Phoolan Devi gave up arms, served her sentence and went on to become a political figure. And "Paani" hopes to melt hearts and move minds with its tale of young love that is unwittingly drawn into this messy revolution.

"It is the story of young love caught in the flurry of conflict and war between two cities, one that is rich and waterful and the other that is poor and waterless, where the water rats are forced steal that precious liquid," he said, adding he plans to bring his movie here next year. Kapur is on the international jury, a position held by Sharmila Tagore, Nandita Das, Aishwarya Rai and Arundhati Roy at different points of time.