Movie Review: ‘Fire’ - A Story that Broke Taboos

Picture Credits - Google

“We are so bound by custom and rituals that somebody just has to press my button, this button marks tradition and I will start responding like a trained monkey.”

 

-Fire

Introduction

Movie name - Fire

Director - Deepa Mehta

Cast - Nandita Das, Shabana Azmi, Kulbushan Kharbanda, Javed Jaffrey

Duration - 1 hour 48 minutes

Genre - Romance, Drama 

Language - Hindi, Language

Plot (Spoiler Alert !) 

The movie has a talented cast starring Shaban Azmi. Deepa Mehta’s Fire (the first movie in the trilogy) was one of the few early movies made about homosexuality in India and the first feature to explicitly portray a lesbian relationship.

It was a time when the representation of the LGBTQIA+ community was close to none and in the rare cases where they did make appearances, they were shown in the most homophobic way ever.

They were stereotyped, shamed, and used as a prop in the movies. However, Fire broke free from these misconceptions and misinterpretations and beautifully and cinematically presented a revolutionary mainstream Bollywood movie. 

Fire is loosely based on Ismat Chughati’s 1942 story Lihaaf(quilt). It revolves around two women trapped in unhappy marriages who are lonely and find comfort, companionship, and solace in one another. 

It successfully explores themes of sexuality, acceptance, patriarchy among many others. It highlights a system where women have no rights and are not allowed to harbor any desire and are forced and expected to behave and act in a certain mold.

They are expected to be docile, obedient, and dutiful otherwise. They are mistreated and are termed as a disgrace to the family and as well to society. While the man is put on a pedestal despite the felonies committed by him. 

Cinematography And Beautiful Screenplay 

The cinematography in the film is crisp and presents sharp, clear, and well-constructed shots retaining the rawness of the story. Nandita Das and Shabana Azmi’s performance as Sita and Radha respectively is outstanding, audacious, and sensitive. Also, Ranjit Chaodharay’s role as the male servant in the film adds comic relief. 

The film cleverly uses color, particularly shades of orange and yellow to accentuate the underlying themes. 

The Reason Behind The Title ‘Fire’

Picture Credits - Google

 

One of the many themes that run parallel throughout the story was the interpretation and symbolism of Ramayana. Just like Sita plunges herself into the fire to prove her piousness and purity and emerge victorious Azmi (Radha) also survives when her saree catches fire and comes out proud and fearless after being subjected to a metaphorical fire. 

Fire is not only controversial but it also shook the country at the same time. Topics like homosexuality and that the sexuality of women was unheard of. Partial nudity, women's agency over their bodies, and portrayal of masturbation are things that are rarely broached in Indian cinema barring a few exceptions. 

Representation of female bonding unlike male bonding was absent for a long time in popular Indian cinema or was not central to the mae dominant narratives until the late 1990s. Consequently, the film saw a lot of protests and resistance from social groups especially Hindu extremists.   

Fire not only represents a form of desire but also has sparked discussions that are still going on decades after the film was released. It will not be wrong to classify or to say that it qualifies as a queer classic, being the first movie to bring out the women in love from shadows into the mainstream and narrating their story in such an organic and gentle way.  

The Revolution In The Society

Fire and the conversation that began around the movie's general reception, both by supporters and detractors, encouraged lesbians and gay rights activists in India to be more vocal about their existence and the erasure of queerness from India's historical heritage.

The release of this movie corresponded with the beginning of the widespread national conversation about lesbian and gay rights. A new lesbian rights group, calling itself the Campaign for Lesbian Rights (CALERI), formed in response to the backlash. This group held its own peaceful gatherings across India.

Conclusion

The lines encapsulate the essence of the movie by establishing that they have no free will. Their lives are controlled by misogynistic men but what happens when these women finally decide to take charge and break societal norms. 

My Ratings for the Movie - 5 on 5

Written By - Manika Gupta