/> There was constant friction between Deepa Mehta and her leading man Aamir Khan during 1947: Earth. "He felt I wasn't allowing him to interpret the role properly. Today after the release of Water, there's a huge revival of interest in Earth.

John surrendered to my interpretation of his character unquestioningly. Aamir wasn't happy doing the role the way I wanted to. Aamir's performance is being widely noticed. I think Earth came too soon," opines Deepa who leaves for LA to promote Water for the Oscars where it's up in the short-list.

"I don't think the film needs promotion. It's already released commercially in the US. Even the DVD is out."

One of the first persons to call Deepa after Water made it into the Oscars' short-list was John Abraham. "He was as excited as a school kid, Frankly I'm also ecstatic"

Deepa Mehta is in a state of daze. "I can't believe Water has come so far. It's actually made it to the final 5 nominations! What really makes me happy is the competition. This year's other nominations are of an exceptionally high caliber. The competition is really tough."

Water is the first Hindi-language film before or after Lagaan to make it to the Final-5 in the Best Foreign Language category.

"It's a Canadian film. But it's in Hindi and therefore as Indian as it's Canadian. Will it finally win? I don't know. The fact that I'll be able to walk the red carpet at the Oscars with Water and my cast, is enough for me. I never thought Water would come so far. This was a film that almost didn't get made."

Deepa doesn't have any regrets that the film couldn't be made in Varanasi. "I feel the film would've been different in texture if it was shot in Varanasi. However finally I'm glad I made it in Sri Lanka. My vision was tranquil and comfortable. I didn't have to have tea with dozens of politicians just to ensure my next day's shooting,"

She alludes to the political interference that finally stopped Water in Varanasi.