Fire

Rating:
Summary: Forbidden Fire
Review: "It was amazing that a film which explores choices, desires and the people who are victims of people who are victims of tradition, would cause such an uproar." -Deepa Mehta, the director of Fire

The beauty of this movie is more in the questions it asks than the erotic relationship between two women who resort to a lesbian relationship due to their husbands finding satisfaction everywhere else besides their marriage bed.

Are all sins equal? Is adultery not seen in the same light by religious people as desiring a person of the same sex? Why are people who desire love in the way these two women do seen as more sinful than those in society who commit adultery? Does God turn his eyes and not see one and see the other?

This movie asks questions that are difficult to answer because all of us possess desire. We all want to be loved, understood and feel the compassion of others. We don't want to live our lives feeling lonely, unloved, rejected sexually. Radha (Shabana Azmi) and Sita (Nandita Das) are forced to choose between a loveless life with their husbands or a caring and compassionate life with one another.

Ashok (Kulbushan Kharbanda) has chosen a life of celibacy. But he is married to Radha. This makes no sense and in her rejection, Radha reaches out to Sita who is newly married to Jatin (Jaaved Jaaferi) who has never let the love of his life out of his sexual domain.

To complicate matters, Mundu (Ranit Chowdhry) is not respectful of his elders and also seeks revenge. He wants to see his brother Ashok shamed because he has been shamed. In the middle of this family, the mother Biji (Kushal Rekhi) is forced to watch all her children's lives go to ruin before her eyes and she cannot speak due to a stroke.

After watching this movie, I understand to some degree why this movie was rejected by certain groups in India. It asks too many unanswerable questions, which might lead to a general frustration. Perhaps the frustration boiled to the surface as a certain realization fell over the audience. That maybe what they want and what they are expected to want is in conflict.

In a country where arranged marriages are still a common practice and woman light themselves on fire to escape marriage, I think this movie might help to awaken a sense of responsibility in men and help women to see they do have choices. In that choice is perhaps their power. Not that they should make a similar choice, but perhaps they should be more willing to ask for what they need, or demand fair treatment from their husbands. Maybe women should say they will only marry a man they love. Then there is always the possibility of divorce later.

There is a somewhat "rude awakening" to the concept of duty throughout this movie. What does it mean to you personally? Would you be willing to rebel against tradition and your religion to gain what you truly love? Sita says that the "concept of duty is overrated." Is it? Does your religion keep you from your desire or does desire keep you from religion? By the end of the movie, I was dizzy with the questions the characters actions ask.

But is there fair treatment in an arranged marriage? Would a "forced" union not breed contempt? And why do people still allow themselves to be forced into marrying someone they don't love? This seems to me to breed a rebellion. How can one defend such an unfair practice? In this situation, our sympathy is naturally for the women involved.

I think many saw this movie and feared that it would cause women to question their own place in society. This movie explores taboo. Men cheating on their wives might be seen as more acceptable than two women finding love in one another's arms. Why?

The relationship of Sita and Radha almost seems more of a metaphor of choice than a promotion of homosexuality. Naming these two characters after two of the most revered goddesses in Hindu mythology may have been going too far and many probably saw this as being disrespectful of religious beliefs.

You do probably have to be fairly open minded to enjoy this movie. For me it was more of a warning in many ways.

1. Think about who you are going to marry in a deep way.
2. Consider that if you do decide to get married, you might feel pain when you want
to be with someone else. Are you willing to endure that pain?
3. Be prepared at that point to be willing to make a decision in favor or against duty.
4. Don't be forced into marriage by anyone. This is your life.

This movie asks eternal questions. Questions about life, love, longing, desire, religion, marriage, duty, divorce, sexuality, acceptance, right, wrong and many others. I felt it was a beautifully filmed movie with a somewhat tragic concept intertwined around burning passion.

It is difficult to live in this physical world without the spiritual beauty of love. You have to be very strong to resist the power of love or to feel alive without desire.

-TheRebeccaReview.com

Rating:
Summary: Kudos to the cast and director
Review: "The film is a thought provoking masala of subjects, subtle, yet lush. Open your mind to the

Rating:
Summary: Same Old Tired Stereotypes
Review: ' and, judging from the comments posted here by various customer reviewers, we 'enlightened' Americans are only too happy to buy into them. Check out the condescension:

- 'It is hard for some to truly understand how little freedom; either in opinion or in movement women have in some eastern cultures.'

- 'Understandably, most westerners would find it difficult to relate to the reality of a culture which has traditionally allowed men to get away with such MCP attitudes.'

- 'This film tackles the subject of tribadism in a society that is quite intolerant of any deviations from the norm. It criticises a great many Indian customs that many find oppressive -- such as the arranging of marriages by others, the importance of status and face, religious hypocrisy, sexism, the valuation of women in terms of their baby-making capacity, the binding concepts of duty and so on.'

A few posters go on to speculate that Indians did not like this film because 'many saw this movie and feared that it would cause women to question their own place in society.'

- 'I wondered to myself, what could be so controversial in this film that it would cause an entire country to ban its existence? I rented it and do you know what? It turned out that the threat was new ideas that challenged traditional culture.'

- 'The violence and controversy it sparked in the conservative Hindu state of Maharashtra are documented in the "extras"; more than anything else, the ability of this film to panic conservative forces, and thereby elicit mob violence, speaks to its power and lasting value as a challenge to institutions that (however benign they may seem on the surface) keep women down.'

I must first of all point out that (as others have noted) the film was initially released in India, but subsequently banned due to the violent reaction of certain extremist groups and the inability of the police to prevent it (not because of the lesbian content or fears that Indian women would get all out of control), which only resulted in a national backlash against the Censor Board, so that it was re-released three months later "without a single cut."

Second, if anyone is actually interested in the *informed insider's* response to 'Fire' (for a refreshing change of pace), check out Madhu Kishwar's, a well-known Hindu feminist and editor of the Indian feminist journal, Manushi, review in which she critiques both the film and Western chauvinism and condescension. I recommend that you watch the movie and then read Kishwar's review and then give some serious thought to the issues that *both* bring up.

Rating:
Summary: Do yourself a favor and see this movie...
Review: ... You will love it. A deep and powerful story, beautifully told. Incredible cinematography. Wonderful performances from the entire cast. I'm not sure what movie Leonard Maltin watched for his review, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't "Fire". He oughtta check the film labels more carefully.

Rating:
Summary: Quiet courage...
Review: ...radiates from this excellent film. Made with obvious love by an Indian woman who currently hails from Canada, "Fire" tackles both arranged marriage--a topic that makes the West uneasy--and lesbianism--a subject that makes East and West alike squirm. The film is beautifully framed and shot. The plot is straightforward (I knew what was coming most of the time), but the nuances seem sharper, since we're plunked into a different culture. Or is it so different? And the ending was a complete surprise, and powerful.

Even on the honeymoon, a new husband has no interest in his young bride.("The fool!" you'll say, because the actress is truly gorgeous!) And as if to rub it in, the dolt spurns her at the Taj Mahal, the world's greatest monument to love. We know it's not going to work, but he takes her home to his extended family anyway, ensconces her in his proper middle-class household, and goes out every night with his Chinese mistress, who makes him paint her toenails. (Okay, I didn't see that one coming--but I should have. Why did I expect a proper Indian family to be more proper than families anywhere else?) The bride has to stay home and tend to family business. That means she cooks, cleans, prays and fasts for her husband's health, cares for her husband's aged mom, and waits to see if her husband ever wants to have sex with her. (He does. Sort of. Once.)

The bride has a mind, however, and is bored--to the point of secretly cross-dressing while dancing to light rock. (Well, I guess I didn't see that coming either, but once it got going, I knew she'd get caught.) You soon understand that she desperately needs to learn how to avoid offending the Master of the Household--her husband's elder brother.

Happily, along comes her older--and stunning--sister-in-law (played by lovely Shabana Azmi, one of the most popular actresses in India). This poor soul hasn't been touched by her husband in thirteen years. (He's on a soul-strengthening celibacy kick prescribed by his guru.) She undertakes to teach the young bride how to be a proper wife. The sister-in-law, however, is clueless as to the feelings she inspires in her young protege. But delightfully, we're not. In fact, the household sizzles with so much repressed desire that you'll be rooting out loud for the protagonists when they finally get together and let off some steam. And the erotic scenes are beautifully done, understated and tasteful.

I won't tell you any more, except to say the pair gets into trouble, trouble that will make your heart ache in recognition and race with hope. The ending will grip you. I've watched this film many times and am always touched by its beauty.

PS: As a bonus, you'll get to see a short enactment of the Indian epic "The Ramayana," with the part of the goddess Sita played in the traditional Indian way--by a man dressed as a woman and singing in falsetto.

Rating:
Summary: Controversy. . .
Review:

FIRE
Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das, Kulbushan Kharbanda, Javeen Jaaferi, Ranjit Chowdhry, 1996

Synopsis
Radha is married for 13 years to a man who has sworn a vow of celibacy. Sita is married to a unfaithful chauvinist who ignores her. Ultimately the two sister in laws find the intimacy and pleasure, they have been lacking, with each other.

My Review
Banned in India! This film was written and directed by Deepa Mehta, who faced serious problems as a result of the lesbian nature of the film. The plot is empty, but it is a courageous attempt at portraying a taboo subject. Worth seeing, just to say you saw it.

Rating:
Summary: Bravo
Review:

Everything about this movie is just great. You will enjoy every moment of this movie. I have seen it a couple of times with my friends and enjoyed it everytime.

Rating:
Summary: Always rejuvenates my spirit and gives me hope
Review: A courageous and up-lifiting. film. I watch this when I need my faith in the human spirit renewed. Leonard Maltin's review is quite frankly an insult to a great film. The pace, design and acting are flawless. The male characters are chauvinistic to say the least, but it is difficult not to symapthize some with the servant and the younger husband. When the older husband is telling Radha that she should 'ask his forgiveness and touch his feet,' any thinking, caring person should be filled with outrage. To see these women defy patriarchy so unabashedly gives me great hope that the lives of women in less-developed countries will continue to improve this century.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Ingenious
Review: A must see movie. The movie is both innovative and sexy. Shabana and Nandita (the actresses) are sensational. Shabana Azmi is a feminist, a great actress and a member of the Indian parliament. The struggle depicted in the movie is not just something Indian or south asian women face, women all around the world face opression - only the details are different. While this is an excellent movie you should be aware that India is a diverse culture and you cannot represent the people in that culture with some of the generic statements that other reviewers have made here. There are several flavors of middle class India. Many Indian middle class women have excellent careers both in and outside the home and find partners (men and women) who believe in the equality of sexes. There are excellent women scientists, homemakers, engineers, doctors, teachers, members of parliament, etc. who have a great sense of self respect - self respect is not unique to western women :-)

Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC!!!!
Review: A tender romantic story told with wonderful color and sensitivity. It makes your blood boil one minute with outrage and melts you the next. Both women have done a great job. As an Indian and a lesbian this movie has a very special place in my heart. As a regular movie fanatic, this movie simply took my breath away. Enjoy!!