Deepa Mehta is not just incredulous, she is also feeling vindicated.

Her trouble-ridden dream project "Water" - which she code-named "River Moon" to avoid hostility from Hindu fundamentalists - has been selected as the opening film of the Toronto International Film Festival which starts Sep 8.

"I simply got a call from the festival directorate informing me that 'Water' would open the festival. That was it...no red-tapism, no lobbying...thank god! This is the first ever film to open the festival that isn't in English or French."

Mehta, gearing for the film's hopefully glorious release, is rapturous. She shudders as she recalls the film's fate in Varanasi when she tried to shoot it with a different cast of Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das five years ago.

Today Mehta is blissfully happy with the cast, now featuring Lisa Ray and John Abraham, and the end product.

"Lisa Ray is, in one word, ethereal. Everyone who has seen her wants to know where she's been hiding. As for John, 'Water' gives him an incredibly deep and erotic persona. This film will make him an international star."

The other star attraction in "Water" is the little girl named Sarla who plays the pivotal role of a child widow.

"Everyone from Waheedaji (Rehman) and Seema Biswas to Sarla has given the film the mood and texture I was looking for. I regret the fact that I had to shift location from Varanasi to Sri Lanka. Now the setting for the film is no more Varanasi. It's the Bihar-Bengal border."

Though she hates being controversial, Mehta has made peace with her reputation of controversy queen and her status as an NRI filmmaker. "I don't know why it happened with 'Fire' and then 'Water'. But I've moved on. I've made 'Water' exactly the way I wanted to."

While casting, Kareena Kapoor agreed and then dropped out. Shabana Azmi had to bow out because it was felt that Hindu fundamentalists would be adamantly opposed to her portraying a Hindu widow.

Sighs Mehta, "All these were hard blows. But as they say all's well that ends well."

The eminently lyrical finale to Mehta's elemental trilogy is all set to be released globally Nov 4.

But the million-dollar question...Will it get a release in the country of its origin, India? "It should and it must. The government has changed. And a lot has changed in India and within the Indian film industry since I attempted to make 'Water' in Varanasi.

"Look at the variety of films coming out Bollywood lately! It's incredible. I think 'Water' must be released in India...But I won't kow-tow to any governmental pressure, nor seek the approval or blessing of any politician in Maharashtra or elsewhere to get the film released in my country."

What next? "It's another dream project called 'Komagata Maru' for which I want the world's biggest star-actor, Amitabh Bachchan."

What about the adaptation of "Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam" that she was supposed to do? "Hello? I gave up that idea six months ago! Is the Indian press still writing about it?"