The latest feature from veteran film director Deepa Mehta is an enthralling examination of a New Delhi family in the midst of transformation. Radha (the stunning Shabana Azmi) is unwavering in her devotion to her husband Ashok (Kulbushan Kharbanda), despite their barren and sexless arranged marriage. For 15 years Radha has been the consummate Indian wife while Ashok, under the guidance of a spiritual leader, is attempting to rid himself completely of any form of desire.
Meanwhile, Ashok's brother Jatin (Jaaved Jaaferi) has brought home his new wife Sita (Nandita Das), but is unwilling to give up his relationship with his Chinese girlfriend. Added to the mix are Biji (Kushal Rekhi), Ashok and Jatin's infirm mother, who keeps a watchful eye over the family, and Mundu (Ranjit Chowdhry), who works in the family's restaurant and video store under their small apartment.
Slowly, Sita's presence causes the threads that held the family together to unravel. Each member tries to hang on to a semblance of allegiance to the deeply rooted traditions of Indian family life, while at the same time seeking expression for their own personal needs and desires. Unable to woo her new husband, the young and feisty Sita is the first to question the order of things. Her doubts are contagious, and soon Radha's devotion begins to waver too. Deprived of their husbands' affections, the two women draw closer together in ways neither imagined.
Director-writer Deepa Mehta has captured the shifting landscape of the entire Indian subcontinent, where both men and women are caught in the immense tension between the continuity of the extended family and the desire for greater freedom and independence. Lusciously photographed and passionately told, FIRE ignites the senses as well as the emotions.
-Toronto International Film Festival Programme
FIRE IS AVAILABLE ON
HOME VIDEO AND DVD
VHS
DVD[Please note that the home video and DVD are priced and authorized for home use only.
To purchase FIRE on videotape for schools, libraries and other institutions, or to rent the
film on 35mm or 16mm, please call ZEITGEIST FILMS at 212-274-1989 or e-mail us]
Deepa Mehta on Fire | The Reaction to the Film in India
About Deepa Mehta | About the Actors | About the Filmmakers
