Audacious, yet sensitive, Fire may shock traditionalists but might well win Indian cinema a whole new audience.
Fire (1996)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:21
Fresh:18
Rotten:3
Average Rating:6.7/10
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Synopsis: Sita and Radha are young Indian women whose husbands choose celibacy or mistresses over their wives. The two women become friends and grow closer together, forming a forbidden but liberating... Sita and Radha are young Indian women whose husbands choose celibacy or mistresses over their wives. The two women become friends and grow closer together, forming a forbidden but liberating relationship. A lush, passionate story of emancipation and love, in a closed society. Major controversy led this movie to be widely attacked and banned in India. [More]
Starring: Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das, Kulbushan Kharbanda, Jaaved Jaaferi
Starring: Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das, Kulbushan Kharbanda, Jaaved Jaaferi, Ranjist Chowdry, Kushal Rekhi
Director: Deepa Mehta
Director: Deepa Mehta
Producer: Bobby Bedi, Deepa Mehta
Reviews for Fire
One of the most powerful achievements of Fire is to represent a form of desire which is not an escape, but a political challenge.
A sensuous visual experience, thanks to the collaboration between cinematographer Giles Nuttgens and Mehta.
Mehta's direction of her unusually intimate film is delicate. The acting is notably good, especially from Azmi.
Works because it doesn't come off as a lofty diatribe but actually mixes humor with its pathos.
should spark interest in India's modern culture even if it doesn't satisfy those who think a lesbian love affair should burn more explicitly
Fire may be a film, but its story of frustrated desires, love-starved women and the stifling bonds of tradition makes it resemble one of those fat best-selling novels that can fill a summer day at the beach with hours of undemanding pleasure.
Fire's flat-out depiction of average middle-class existence in New Delhi is eye-opening.
Speaks tellingly about individual freedom for women versus social expectations and arranged marriages.
More soap opera than anything else, full of wringing of hands and lots and lots of talking.
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