Deepa's daughter.

That's how most people know Devyani Saltzman, the author of Shooting Water: Mother-Daughter Journey and the Making of a Film.

But in her memoir, Saltzman goes beyond the glitz of silver screens and movie premieres often associated with her mother, internationally acclaimed director, Deepa Mehta.

Saltzman dares to carve her own identity.

"I wrote this memoir because I hope young women can relate to what I went through," says Saltzman, 27, referring to her turbulent relationship with her mother.

In 1999, while visiting the set of her mother's latest film, Water, in Benares, India, Saltzman realized that despite their differences, both she and her mother shared a passion for storytelling. But as Mehta strung images together to tell her tales, Saltzman used her words.

"I've always kept diaries and knew I wanted to write since I was 16-years-old," says Saltzman, in a telephone conversation from her Toronto-home. "For me, writing is very therapeutic."

Saltzman begins her memoir by describing the time she had to make the difficult decision to live with her father, Canadian producer/director, Paul Saltzman, when her parents decided to divorce during the Cannes Film Festival when she was 11-years-old.

"My choice haunted me everyday afterward," writes Saltzman. She also writes that Mehta felt betrayed by her decision.

The trip to Benares seemed like a second chance to rekindle the mother-daughter relationship.

Mehta gave her daughter the job of third-assistant to the camera person on the set of the film. However, shortly after the filming of Water began, a violent political and religious storm began to brew.

Hindu fundamentalists paraded down the streets of Benares in protest of Mehta's interpretation of ancient Sanskrit that dealt with Hindu widows. The angered protesters became more aggressive, blazing effigies of Mehta.

"It was very scary. I picked up the phone when my mom was getting death threats and we were watching the mob destroy our sets," Saltzman says.

"There was an emotional fear. I really believed in the story [of Water] and it was very hard to see a beautiful piece of art being threatened in the world's largest democracy, despite having government permission."

Over time, Saltzman had become just as invested in the making of the Water as her mother was.

In the book, Saltzman writes about visiting a slum-like ashram (a widow house) with oppressive living conditions in Benares. She saw women who were hungry, but more importantly, starved for simple white clothe to make new saris.

"What may seem controversial is really the desire to look at issues that are difficult and sometimes require a lot of honestly. It's not Bollywood, it's not romance. It's a personal journey about challenging issues like Hindu widows." Saltzman says.

But the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in India didn't see it that way. The government succumbed to the pressure of the religious mobs and revoked all permission to shoot the film. They wanted Mehta out. She was defeated. Mehta instructed the crew and cast to pack up their things and leave India.

In Saltzman's words, "water was dead." And it seemed that so was the chance for healing between Mehta and her daughter.

It was time for Mehta and Saltzman to move on. The death of Water was a hard blow to their already fragile relationship.

In 2000, Saltzman enrolled in Oxford University to study Human Sciences. But at university, the weight of her parent's divorce and relationship with her mother caused her to breakdown. In her tiny dorm room, Saltzman finally let herself grieve over her parents divorce.

Mehta and Paul Saltzman rushed from Toronto to England and signed up for family therapy sessions in a small English cottage with their daughter.

"I had been carrying a heavy crystal ball my whole life, and more than anything I wanted to let it go and see it shatter on the ground into a million pieces," Saltzman writes in her memoir. "Shatter beyond recognition."

A month later, Paul Saltzman returned to Canada. And although the therapy had not completely mended Mehta and Saltzman's relationship, Mehta made a point to spend more time with her daughter. She visited Saltzman in England often, cooking for Saltzman and sleeping on a mattress on the floor of her dorm room.

Mehta went on to make two movies, Bollywood/Hollywood (2002) and The Republic of Love (2003), but the last piece of the elements puzzle was still incomplete.

Water was still on her mind.

So, when Mehta called Saltzman in England to tell her she was going to make Water again - but this time in Sri Lanka- Saltzman was determined to witness the filming.

"What I learned from Benares, and the experience of Water was that any type of extremism, whatever religion, whoever it's pinned on, can be devastating," Saltzman said. "We live in quite a safe world in Canada, and it woke me up to say one should always be aware that our freedom is precious."

In 1996, Mehta faced similar persecution for her depiction of Indian lesbians in the first installment of the elements trilogy, Fire. Even though Fire was banned in many Indian movie theatres, Mehta went on to make the second part of the trilogy, Earth in 1998. This time, was a little different. The third element would have to be kept a secret.

With help from David Hamilton, the producer for the movie, the filming of Water was kept under the radar. The cast was also changed. Nandita Das, who had played the leading role in the other two 'elements' movies, was replaced by Lisa Ray. Ray starred in Bollywood/Hollywood, which made it easy for Mehta to ease any suspicion that she was making Water. For extra precaution, Mehta falsely titled the script "Full Moon," to ensure that nothing would stop production of Water this time.

Saltzman said even though her mother was forced to shoot the film in Sri Lanka, the essence of the story of Indian widows was not lost.

"The story really becomes about the women and their experience. The background of Sri Lanka could be Bihar or Bengal physically, so I don't think we lost out in the end," Saltzman said.

After the filming of Water wrapped in June 2004, Saltzman went to the small town of San Miguel in central Mexico to write the first draft of her book. She said she needed some "mental space" to remember five years of history.

"When you're living in a small house with your family it's hard to focus. And it was a really emotional book, so I really wanted to be around nothing I knew so I could relive the experience in my mind," Saltzman said

She compiled the memoir by referring to personal diaries, newspaper articles from Benares saved by a crew member and movie stills she took for the film.

As Saltzman candidly spills her family affairs in the book, it is hard to not wonder what Mehta and Paul Saltzman thought of their daughter's memoir.

"My mom really loved it, she thinks it's beautiful. I don't think they [her parents] were surprised," Saltzman said. "But I know at one point my dad felt sad seeing it in words and happy at the same time that I moved forward from it."

Saltzman's memoir also includes a sincere afterword by Mehta herself.

"Sadly, we cannot rewrite our lives as we do in film scripts. But with awareness and a bit of luck, we can sometimes nudge them in a different direction," Mehta writes. "The rebirth of Water coincided happily with the rebirth of my relationship with Devyani."

Now that the ripples in the mother-daughter relationship have subsided, Saltzman is able to appreciate her mom.

"I was told by someone once, that when my mom and I get passionate about something, we get the same look in our eyes."

Saltzman's writing has appeared in The Globe and Mail, Marie Claire and TOK, an anthology of new Toronto writing, which launched at this year's Luminato festival. She is also currently working on a novel.