Fire
Written and directed by Deepa Mehta
Screening in Sydney from end of June
For details phone Courtney at Globe on (02) 9332 2722
Preview by Reihana Mohideen
The opening scene — a young couple silhouetted against a magnificent backdrop of that pious symbol of love, the Taj Mahal. The young woman looks up adoringly at the man. "Do you love me?" she asks. "Give me some time. We have only been married three days", he brusquely replies.
Fire, produced by Bobby Bedi of Bandit Queen fame, is an intriguing look at human sexuality in the context of a conservative Indian family. The context dramatises both its distortions and its aspirations.
Central to the story is the relationship between the two women, Radha (Shabana Azmi) and Sita (Nandita Das). Radha is a devout Indian wife, seemingly compelled by an overwhelming sense of duty to her husband and his family. Her husband Ashok (Kulbushan Kharbanda) is an extremely religious and pious man who has made a virtue of Radha's inability to have children by practising celibacy. He prides himself on having conquered his sexual desires by asking Radha to sleep beside him but refuses to touch her.
Sita is a young bride come to live with her husband's (Ashok's brother, Jatin) family. Jatin (Jaaved Jaaferi) is in love with his Chinese mistress and resents the marriage that has been forced on him. He spends most nights away from the house and Sita.
Ashok's mother, bedridden and unable to speak, dominates the lives of the two women by virtue of her age and piety — the classic Indian matriarchal figure. She commands their service by persistently ringing her bell.
Then there is Mundu (Ranjit Chowdhry), the servant, whose only respite from a life of drudgery are the television and video which bring several blissful moments as he masturbates watching X-rated videos borrowed from under the counter at Jatin's video store.
Radha and Sita are differentiated by the generation gap. Sita is far more modern in her outlook and far less duty bound. In that context, a deep affection between the two women turns into a passionate and enduring love affair. Through this relationship, Radha, for the first time, questions every notion she has had about her place in the world, self-sacrifice and absolute devotion to her family.
Fire could be viewed as a metaphor for the major changes taking place in Indian society — the economic and social transformations challenging semi-feudal cultural norms, particularly in relation to the oppression of women. But Fire is not merely an Indian film. It challenges even the most "modern" western viewers.
The film's music reflects the mood of each scene and captivates the audience. It is composed by A.R. Rahman, a musical genius and a living legend in India.