Fire

In 1997, Fire lead to controversy and protests for its depiction of homosexuality. In turn, these protests and subsequent censorship lead to a mobilization of gay and lesbian rights protests and conversations on homosexuality in India. Since its release, several other queer Indian films have been released, some on a larger scale than Fire. More than 25 years after its release, Fire still holds up as a scathing critique and powerful piece of art. Director Deepta Mehta pulls no punches and takes no prisoners with Fire.

Fire tells the story of an extended family and a lesbian affair at the centre of it. Sita is a new bride who quickly becomes disillusioned with married life as her husband, Jatin pays little attention to her. Instead, he carries on an affair with his girlfriend who didn’t want to trap in the confines of marriage. Sita and Jatin live with Jatin’s brother Ashok and his wife, Radha. Their marriage also struggles because Radha cannot have children and Ashok spends his spare time and money on a local guru. Also in the household is the men’s paralyzed mother, Biji and a servant Mundu who watches porn at inopportune times. Of course, Sita and Radha find community and love with one another. And as you can imagine, the men in the family don’t take well to this.

Fire is much more than a lesbian film. The secondary members of this family are there to explore and critique other aspects of Indian culture and tradition. This is a film about the complexities and the falsehoods present in almost any family unit in India. The focus on secondary characters and stories really elevates the film. Far from feeling removed from larger context, Sita and Radha’s story takes on broader meaning when juxtaposed against these other stories and character archetypes.

And as you might imagine, this extended family is where my comment about Deepa Mehta taking no prisoners comes into relevance. Much of the film is about respecting or at least looking like you respect tradition. Mehta has little time for that. Much of Fire is depicting the falsity of these traditions and certainly the double standards. The husbands in this movie feel comfortable to do whatever they want. Meanwhile, tradition is what hobbles and restraints Sita and Radha. When they start question tradition and certainly the double standard of how tradition applies to women over men, it’s not taken well. There’s a lot of unspoken privilege built into these traditions. And despite displeasure from their husbands, Sita and Radha seek to free themselves from it.

It’s a shame nobody will read this review or watch Fire who might benefit from this advice. Fire is one of those romances where a woman falls hard for basically the first person to ever be nice to her. That’s what happens with Sita and Radha. It’s also something I see semi-frequently in lesbian romance movies. Guys, if you’re worried your woman might cheat, I dunno, maybe be nice to her? Pay her some attention? Many a fictional affair feels like it could be avoided if people were just nice and acknowledging of their wives. Or, sure. Go the vampire exploitation route and assume lesbianism is a side-effect of feminism and women being friends with one another. See how that works.

Fire is a film where the lesbianism is basically a side effect of nobody respecting women. But that underplays how much the film has to say. Fire is a dense, broad-spanning commentary about traditional family roles in an Indian home. The romance is sweet and realistic but far from the be-all, end-all of the film. Deepa Mehta uses Fire to provide insightful, blunt and often scathing commentary in regards to the traditional family model.

Overall rating: 7.4/10

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