One of the most powerful achievements of Fire is to represent a form of desire which is not an escape, but a political challenge.
Comment
03/05/02
Fire (1996)
86
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
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... [More]
Starring: Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das, Kulbushan Kharbanda, Jaaved Jaaferi
Director: Deepa Mehta
Reviews for Fire
Audacious, yet sensitive, Fire may shock traditionalists but might well win Indian cinema a whole new audience.
01/01/00
Top CriticClick to read the article
01/26/06
Top CriticA plea for women's self-determination that, for all its good intentions, will probably strike viewers in this country as a bit obvious.
01/01/00
Fire lights its spark beautifully
08/21/06
Works because it doesn't come off as a lofty diatribe but actually mixes humor with its pathos.
01/01/00
Fire's flat-out depiction of average middle-class existence in New Delhi is eye-opening.
01/01/00
A compelling drama set in India about the boundlessness of desire.
03/02/02
The film has a seductive resonance.
01/01/00
Top CriticFire 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.
01/01/00
Top CriticA sensuous visual experience, thanks to the collaboration between cinematographer Giles Nuttgens and Mehta.
01/01/00
Mehta's direction of her unusually intimate film is delicate. The acting is notably good, especially from Azmi.
01/01/00
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
05/06/06
More soap opera than anything else, full of wringing of hands and lots and lots of talking.
01/01/00
Although the acting is pleasant enough, the script by the director suffers from a paucity of ideas. His characters are handsomely outlined but never adequately filled in.
07/24/02
In its quiet way, Fire packs an emotional wallop.
01/01/00
Speaks tellingly about individual freedom for women versus social expectations and arranged marriages.
01/01/00
Click to read the article
10/28/03
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