Fire (1996 film) - Revision history

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	'''''Fire''''' is a [[Bollywood films of 1996\|1996]] Indo-Canadian [[erotic films\|erotic]] [[Romance film\|romantic]] [[Drama (film and television)\|drama film]] written and directed by [[Deepa Mehta]], starring [[Shabana Azmi]] and [[Nandita Das]]. It is the first installment of Mehta's ''[[Elements trilogy]]''; it is succeeded by ''[[Earth (1998 film)\|Earth]]'' (1998) and ''[[Water (2005 film)\|Water]]'' (2005).		'''''Fire''''' is a [[Bollywood films of 1996\|1996]] Indo-Canadian [[erotic films\|erotic]] [[Romance film\|romantic]] [[Drama (film and television)\|drama film]] written and directed by [[Deepa Mehta]], starring [[Shabana Azmi]] and [[Nandita Das]]. It is the first installment of Mehta's ''[[Elements trilogy]]''; it is succeeded by ''[[Earth (1998 film)\|Earth]]'' (1998) and ''[[Water (2005 film)\|Water]]'' (2005).

	The film is loosely based on [[Ismat Chughtai]]'s 1942 story, "[[Lihaaf]]" ("The Quilt").<ref>{{Cite book\| last = Gopinath\| first = Gayatri\| title = Impossible Desires \| year = 2005\| publisher = Duke University press \| location = Durham and London \| isbn=9780822386537}}</ref> ''Fire'' is one of the first mainstream [[Bollywood]] films to explicitly show homosexual relations, and the first to feature a [[lesbian]] relationship.<ref name=Choudhury>{{cite news\|last1=Choudhury\|first1=Aishwarya\|title=So, This Is What Went into The Making of Bollywood's First-Ever Lesbian Kiss Back in The '90s\|url=https://www.scoopwhoop.com/entertainment/fire-first-lesbian-kiss-bollywood/\|website=[[ScoopWhoop]]\|date=25 November 2015\|access-date=4 July 2019}}</ref><ref name=Darren>{{cite book\|last1=Darren\|first1=Alison\|title=Lesbian Film Guide\|date=2000\|pages=74–75\|publisher=[[Cassell (publisher)\|Cassell]]\|location=London\|edition=1st\|isbn=030433376X\|lccn=99043640\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9aCvAwAAQBAJ&q=Fire&pg=PA74}}</ref> After its 1998 release in India, activists staged several protests, setting off a flurry of public dialogue around issues such as homosexuality and [[freedom of speech]].<ref>{{Cite news\|title=Women: Fighting Fire; Last week, activists ran riot at a cinema in Delhi in protest at the screening of Fire, a film about lesbians. Shabana Azmi a member of both India's parliament and the film's cast, explains why it should be shown\|last=North\|first=Madline\|date=10 December 1998\|work=The Guardian (London)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book\|title=Impossible desires: Queer diasporas and south asian public cultures\|last=Gopinath\|first=Gayatri\|publisher=Duke University Press\|year=2005\|isbn=0822335018\|location=Durham\|pages=131}}</ref~~><ref name=Choudhury /~~>		The film is loosely based on [[Ismat Chughtai]]'s 1942 story, "[[Lihaaf]]" ("The Quilt").<ref>{{Cite book\| last = Gopinath\| first = Gayatri\| title = Impossible Desires \| year = 2005\| publisher = Duke University press \| location = Durham and London \| isbn=9780822386537}}</ref> ''Fire'' is one of the first mainstream [[Bollywood]] films to explicitly show homosexual relations, and the first to feature a [[lesbian]] relationship.<ref name=Choudhury>{{cite news\|last1=Choudhury\|first1=Aishwarya\|title=So, This Is What Went into The Making of Bollywood's First-Ever Lesbian Kiss Back in The '90s\|url=https://www.scoopwhoop.com/entertainment/fire-first-lesbian-kiss-bollywood/\|website=[[ScoopWhoop]]\|date=25 November 2015\|access-date=4 July 2019}}</ref><ref name=Darren>{{cite book\|last1=Darren\|first1=Alison\|title=Lesbian Film Guide\|date=2000\|pages=74–75\|publisher=[[Cassell (publisher)\|Cassell]]\|location=London\|edition=1st\|isbn=030433376X\|lccn=99043640\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9aCvAwAAQBAJ&q=Fire&pg=PA74}}</ref> After its 1998 release in India, activists staged several protests, setting off a flurry of public dialogue around issues such as homosexuality and [[freedom of speech]].<ref name=Choudhury /><ref>{{Cite news\|title=Women: Fighting Fire; Last week, activists ran riot at a cinema in Delhi in protest at the screening of Fire, a film about lesbians. Shabana Azmi a member of both India's parliament and the film's cast, explains why it should be shown\|last=North\|first=Madline\|date=10 December 1998\|work=The Guardian (London)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book\|title=Impossible desires: Queer diasporas and south asian public cultures\|last=Gopinath\|first=Gayatri\|publisher=Duke University Press\|year=2005\|isbn=0822335018\|location=Durham\|pages=131}}</ref>

	==Plot==		==Plot==

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{{about|the Indo-Canadian film|the Pakistani film of the same name|Fire (2002 film)}}
{{EngvarB|date=February 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Fire
| image = Fire (1996) poster.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Film poster
| director = [[Deepa Mehta]]
| producers = {{Plainlist|
* Bobby Bedi
* Deepa Mehta
}}
| writer = Deepa Mehta
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Nandita Das]]
* [[Shabana Azmi]]
}}
| music = [[A. R. Rahman]]
| cinematography = [[Giles Nuttgens]]
| editing = Barry Farrell
| production_companies = {{Plainlist|
* [[Kaleidoscope Entertainment]]
* Trial by Fire Films
}}
| distributor = [[Zeitgeist Films]]
| released = {{Film date|df=y|1996|09|06|[[Toronto International Film Festival|TIFF]]|1998|11|05|India}}
| runtime = 108 minutes<ref>{{cite web | url=http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/fire-1998-0 | title=''Fire'' (15) | work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=1 October 1998 | access-date=30 November 2014}}</ref>
| country = {{Plainlist|
* India
* Canada
}}
| language = {{Plainlist|
* Hindi
* English
}}
| budget =
| gross = $501,533<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Fire#tab=summary | title=''Fire'' (1997) - Financial Information | work=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] | access-date=30 November 2016}}</ref>
}}
'''''Fire''''' is a [[Bollywood films of 1996|1996]] Indo-Canadian [[erotic films|erotic]] [[Romance film|romantic]] [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] written and directed by [[Deepa Mehta]], starring [[Shabana Azmi]] and [[Nandita Das]]. It is the first installment of Mehta's ''[[Elements trilogy]]''; it is succeeded by ''[[Earth (1998 film)|Earth]]'' (1998) and ''[[Water (2005 film)|Water]]'' (2005).

The film is loosely based on [[Ismat Chughtai]]'s 1942 story, "[[Lihaaf]]" ("The Quilt").<ref>{{Cite book| last = Gopinath| first = Gayatri| title = Impossible Desires | year = 2005| publisher = Duke University press | location = Durham and London | isbn=9780822386537}}</ref> ''Fire'' is one of the first mainstream [[Bollywood]] films to explicitly show homosexual relations, and the first to feature a [[lesbian]] relationship.<ref name=Choudhury>{{cite news|last1=Choudhury|first1=Aishwarya|title=So, This Is What Went into The Making of Bollywood's First-Ever Lesbian Kiss Back in The '90s|url=https://www.scoopwhoop.com/entertainment/fire-first-lesbian-kiss-bollywood/|website=[[ScoopWhoop]]|date=25 November 2015|access-date=4 July 2019}}</ref><ref name=Darren>{{cite book|last1=Darren|first1=Alison|title=Lesbian Film Guide|date=2000|pages=74–75|publisher=[[Cassell (publisher)|Cassell]]|location=London|edition=1st|isbn=030433376X|lccn=99043640|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9aCvAwAAQBAJ&q=Fire&pg=PA74}}</ref> After its 1998 release in India, activists staged several protests, setting off a flurry of public dialogue around issues such as homosexuality and [[freedom of speech]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Women: Fighting Fire; Last week, activists ran riot at a cinema in Delhi in protest at the screening of Fire, a film about lesbians. Shabana Azmi a member of both India's parliament and the film's cast, explains why it should be shown|last=North|first=Madline|date=10 December 1998|work=The Guardian (London)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Impossible desires: Queer diasporas and south asian public cultures|last=Gopinath|first=Gayatri|publisher=Duke University Press|year=2005|isbn=0822335018|location=Durham|pages=131}}</ref><ref name=Choudhury />

==Plot==
The film opens with young Radha sitting in a mustard field with her parents. Her mother tells her a tale of a person who wanted to see the ocean, but Radha says that she does not understand the moral of the story.

The film flashes forward to Sita, a newly married woman on honeymoon with her husband Jatin, who is distant and shows little interest in Sita. Jatin is in a typical joint-family arrangement - he lives with his older brother Ashok, his sister-in-law Radha, his paralysed mother Biji and the family servant Mundu. Ashok and Jatin run a small store that sells food and rents videotapes.

Jatin shows no care for Sita, and she learns that he only agreed to the arranged marriage in order to put an end to Ashok's nagging. Jatin continues to date his modern Asian girlfriend, and Sita does not rebuke him. The rest of Jatin's home is not rosy either. Biji is immobile and speechless after a stroke, and Sita and Radha must constantly attend to her. Sita spends her days slaving in the hot kitchen, and finds herself lonely and frustrated at night because Jatin is out with his girlfriend. She yearns to break out of this stifling situation.

It is revealed that Radha faces a similar problem. Many years ago, Ashok had come under the influence of Swamiji, a local religious preacher, who teaches that desires are the cause of suffering and must be suppressed. Ashok is completely taken by these monastic teachings and suppresses all his desires. He also donates large sums from the meager store income to treat the Swamiji's [[hydrocele]] condition. The Swamiji teaches that sexual contact is permitted only as a means for procreation, and Radha is infertile. Accordingly, Ashok aims to stamp out all his desires and has not slept with Radha for the past thirteen years. He puts Radha through an excruciating ritual in which they lie motionless next to each other whenever he wants to test his resolve. Radha is racked with guilt over her inability to have children and driven to frustration by the ritual.

While the older Radha remains bound by tradition and subdued into silence, the younger Sita refuses to accept her fate. Sita's attitude slowly spills over onto Radha, who becomes slightly more assertive. One evening, shunned by their husbands and driven to desperation by their unfulfilled longings, Radha and Sita seek solace in each other and become lovers. Overjoyed at finding satisfaction in this manner, they continue it in secret. They eventually realise their love for each other and start looking for ways to move out. The pair's daily antics and adventures are witnessed by Biji, who disapproves, but is unable to stop them. After some time, Mundu becomes aware of their relationship, and he causes Ashok to walk in on Radha and Sita.

Ashok is horrified. He is also shattered when he finds this incident has stoked his own long-dormant desire. Sita decides to pack her belongings and leave the house immediately, while Radha stays behind in order to talk to her husband. The women promise to meet each other later that night. Ashok confronts Radha, who overcomes her subservience and pours out her emotions. Amid this argument, Radha's sari catches fire, and Ashok angrily watches her burn without helping. Radha puts out the flames and recalls her mother's advice from when she was young - she can finally see her ocean.

An injured Radha leaves Ashok, moving out in order to join Sita.

==Cast==
{{colbegin|colwidth=40em}}
* [[Nandita Das]] as Sita
* [[Shabana Azmi]] as Radha
** Karishma Jhalani as young Radha
* Ramanjit Kaur as Young Radha's mother
* [[Dilip Mehta]] as Young Radha's father
* [[Javed Jaffrey]] as Jatin
* [[Vinay Pathak]] as Guide at Taj Mahal
* Kushal Rekhi as Biji
* [[Ranjit Chowdhry]] as Mundu
* [[Kulbhushan Kharbanda]] as Ashok
* Alice Poon as Julie
* [[Ram Gopal Bajaj]] as Swamiji
* Ravinder Happy as Oily man in video shop
* [[Devyani Saltzman]] as Girl in video shop
* Sunil Chabra as Milkman on bicycle
* [[Avijit Dutt]] as Julie's father
* Shasea Bahadur as Julie's brother
* Meher Chand as Goddess Sita
* Bahadur Chand as God Ram
* Puran, Sohan Lal, [[Sadhu Meher|Meher]], Amarjit Chand, and Karahm Chand as 'Ramayan' theatrical troupe members
* [[Kabir Chowdhury]] as Boy in video shop
* Laurence Côte as French tourist at the Taj Mahal
{{colend}}

==Controversies and reaction==
''Fire'' was passed uncut by India's film certification board (the [[Central Board of Film Certification]]) in May 1998 with a rating of ''Adult'', the only condition being that the character Sita's name be changed to Nita.<ref name="IndiaToday" /> The board made their decision based on what it called the importance of the story for Indian women.<ref name=Ross>{{Cite book|last1=Ross|first1=Oliver|title=Same-Sex Desire in Indian Culture: Representations in Literature and Film, 1970-2015|year=2016|publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]]|location=New York|page=44|isbn=978-1137570758}}</ref> The film was first screened on 13 November 1998 and ran to full houses in 42 theaters<ref>{{Cite news|title=Dousing the Fire of Free Expression|last=Dhavan|first=Rajeev|date=9 December 1998|work=The Times of India}}</ref> in most metropolitan cities throughout India for almost three weeks.

On 2 December, more than 200 [[Shiv Sena|Shiv Sainiks]] stormed a Cinemax theatre in suburban [[Goregaon]] in [[Mumbai]],<ref>{{Cite news|title=City Theatre Puts Lid on 'Fire' again|date=19 December 1998|work=The Times of India}}</ref> smashing glass panes, burning posters and shouting slogans.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bearak|first=Barry|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/24/world/new-delhi-journal-a-lesbian-idyll-and-the-movie-theaters-surrender.html|title=New Delhi Journal; A Lesbian Idyll, and the Movie Theaters Surrender|date=1998-12-24|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-04-10|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Radical Hindu women attack film on lesbian in Bombay|date=2 December 1998|work=Agence France Presse}}</ref> They compelled managers to refund tickets to moviegoers. On 3 December, a Regal theatre in [[Delhi]] was similarly stormed. Mina Kulkarni, one of the Delhi protesters explained the reasoning behind their actions, saying, "If women's physical needs get fulfilled through lesbian acts, the institution of marriage will collapse, reproduction of human beings will stop."<ref name=Ross /> Bajrang Dal workers with [[Fighting stick|lathis]] invaded Rajpalace and Rajmahal in Surat, breaking up everything in sight and driving away frightened audiences. Some of the rioters set fire to theatres screening the film.<ref name="Rediff.com 1998">{{cite web | title=Rediff on the NeT: The fire against 'Fire' spreads to Surat | website=Rediff.com | date=1998-12-04 | url=https://m.rediff.com/news/1998/dec/04fir.htm | access-date=2019-08-11}}</ref>

Theatres in Surat and Pune stopped screening the film on the same day. When attackers attempted to shut down a screening in [[Calcutta]], however, ushers and audience fought back and the movie stayed open. Twenty-nine people were arrested in Mumbai in connection with these incidents.<ref name="IndiaToday">{{Citation | last1 = Jain | first1 = Madhu | last2 = Raval | first2 = Sheela | title = Ire over Fire | newspaper = [[India Today]]| date = 21 December 1998 | url = http://www.india-today.com/itoday/21121998/cinema.html | access-date = 2008-03-14 | archive-url = https://www.webcitation.org/5xcpYTW5N?url=http://www.india-today.com/itoday/21121998/cinema.html | archive-date = 1 April 2011 | url-status = dead}}</ref><ref name="NewYorkTimes1">{{Citation | last = Bearak | first = Barry | author-link = Barry Bearak | title = A Lesbian Idyll, and the Movie Theaters Surrender | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date = 24 December 1998 | url =https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE5DB113CF937A15751C1A96E958260 | access-date=2008-03-12 }}</ref> Chief Minister [[Manohar Joshi]] supported the actions to shut down screenings of ''Fire'', saying, "I congratulate them for what they have done. The film's theme is alien to our culture."<ref name="IndiaToday" />

On 4 December, the film was referred back to the Certifying Board for a re-examination by the [[Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)|Ministry of Information and Broadcasting]].<ref>{{Cite news|title='Fire' referred to censor board for re-examination by I and B ministry|date=5 December 1998|work=The Times of India}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=Citation does not include URL link and content cannot be verified.|date=July 2019}} The Indian government was criticised for siding with the vandals.<ref>{{Citation | title = 'Fire' referred back to censor board | newspaper = [[The Times of India]] | date = 5 December 1998 }}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=Citation does not include URL link and content cannot be verified.|date=July 2019}} On 5 December a group of film personalities and free speech activists, including [[Deepa Mehta]], Indian movie star [[Dilip Kumar]], and director [[Mahesh Bhatt]], submitted a 17-page petition to the Supreme Court asking that a "sense of security" be provided, in addition to basic protection, so that the film could be screened smoothly.<ref>Unknown Author. "Hindu leader says lesbian film should be about Moslem family" ''Agence France Presse'', 14 December 1998. Accessed 14 March 2008.</ref> The petition referenced articles 14, 19, 21, 25 of the [[Indian Constitution]], which promise the right to equality, life and liberty, freedom of speech and expression, freedom of conscience, free expression of religious practice and belief, and the right to hold peaceful meetings.<ref name="QueeringIndia">{{Cite book| last = Vanita| first = Ruth| title = Queering India | year = 2002| publisher = Routledge| location = New York | isbn = 0-415-92950-4 }}</ref> On being asked the reason for discomfort, [[Dilip Kumar]] said that he hasn't seen the film and wasn't much concerned about its content but rather the kind of vandalism that takes place on their cultural life, whenever such issue comes up.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=December 21|first1=SHEELA RAVAL MADHU JAIN|last2=December 21|first2=1998 ISSUE DATE|last3=April 15|first3=1998UPDATED|last4=Ist|first4=2013 12:22|title=Deepa Mehta's film Fire creates a furore|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-the-arts/films/story/19981221-controversial-film-fire-is-sent-back-to-censor-board-matter-taken-to-court-827561-1998-12-21|access-date=2021-07-10|website=India Today|language=en}}</ref>

On 7 December, Mehta led a candlelit protest in New Delhi with activists from 32 organisations, including CALERI, against the withdrawal of ''Fire'', carrying placards, shouting anti-[[Shiv Sena]] slogans and crying for the freedom of right to expression.<ref>Unknown Author. "Candle-light protest against withdrawal of controversial film", ''[[BBC]] Summary of World Broadcasts'', 9 December 1998. Accessed 14 March 2008.</ref> On 12 December about 60 [[Shiv Sena]] men stripped down to their underwear and squatted in front of [[Dilip Kumar]]'s house to protest his support of ''Fire''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/233724.stm|title=BBC News {{!}} South Asia {{!}} Indian activists protest in underwear over lesbian film|website=news.bbc.co.uk|access-date=2020-04-10}}</ref> 22 were arrested and Kumar, as well as others involved in the production of the film were provided with police security.<ref>Unknown Author. [http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19981213/34750024.html "Sainiks spew venom against Dilip Kumar for backing ''Fire'',"]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ''[[Indian Express]]'', 13 December 1998. Accessed 16 March 2008.</ref>

Cinemax reopened screenings of ''Fire'' on 18 December, but a hundred members of the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) vandalised posters at the Sundar Theatre in [[Kanpur]] despite the police commissioner's reassurance that protection has been arranged.<ref name="QueeringIndia"/> ''Fire'' was re-released without cuts by the Censor Board on 12 February 1999.<ref>"Indian censors clear "Fire" for a second time", ''[[Reuters]]'', 14 February 1999. Accessed 10 March 2008.</ref> Theatre screenings were resumed on 26 February and continued without incident.<ref>The Naz Foundation Trust, "[http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/__e52568520028afa7.nsf/0/652e99a7c2bc0a796525693e005c85db!OpenDocument&Highlight=0,fire History's Flirtation with Fire]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}", 1 August 1999. Accessed 7 March 2008.</ref>

=== ''Fire'' and lesbian rights in India ===
''Fire'' and the conversation that began around the movie's general reception, both by supporters and detractors, encouraged lesbians and gay rights activists in India to be more vocal about their existence and the erasure of queerness from India's historical heritage.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Film breaks silence of India's lesbians|last=Popham|first=Peter|date=20 December 1998|work=The Independent}}</ref> The release of this movie corresponded with the beginning of widespread national conversation about lesbian and gay rights.<ref name=Ross /> A new lesbian rights group, calling themselves the Campaign for Lesbian Rights (CALERI), formed in response to the backlash. This group held their own peaceful gatherings across India.<ref name=Ross />

==Reception==
In the weeks following its release, reviewers praised the film's explicit depiction of a homosexual relationship as "gutsy",<ref>"That Burning Feeling", ''[[Times of India]]'', 20 November 1998. Accessed 16 March 2008.</ref> "explosive",<ref>Mullick, Swapan. "Explosive Power of the Woman", ''[[The Statesman (India)|The Statesman]]'', 26 November 1998. Accessed 14 March 2008.</ref> and "pathbreaking".<ref>[[Bhawana Somaaya|Somaaya, Bhawana]]. "Year of Unusuals", ''[[The Hindu]]'', 27 November 2008. Accessed 13 March 2008.</ref> Following the [[Shiv Sena]] attacks on the film, prominent party members said ''Fire'' had been targeted because it was an "immoral and pornographic" film "against Indian tradition and culture." The lesbian relationship depicted in the film was criticised as "not a part of Indian history or culture."<ref>Kidwai, Saleem. "Sena fury on Fire," ''[[The Independent (Bangladesh)|The Independent']]', 5 February 1999. Accessed 12 March 2008.</ref><ref name="Reuters1"/><ref>Trehan, Madhu. [http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/audience.nsf/(docid)/3F09E03F8D57BE2B65256941003E4B90 "When we don't get what we want, we have to get violent"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716104950/http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/audience.nsf/(docid)/3F09E03F8D57BE2B65256941003E4B90 |date=16 July 2011 }}, ''[[The Hindustan Times]]'', 13 December 1998. Accessed 14 March 2008.</ref> Other politicians of the Hindu right voiced fears that the film would "spoil [Indian] women" and younger generations by teaching "unhappy wives not to depend on their husbands" and informing the public about "acts of perversion."<ref name="activistsslam">"Activists slam attacks on lesbian film, Hindus vow to widen protest," ''[[Agence France-Presse]]'', 3 December 1998. Accessed 13 March 2008.</ref> Speaking on the dangers of ''Fire'', [[Shiv Sena]] chief [[Bal Thackeray]] compared lesbianism to "a sort of a social AIDS" which might "spread like an epidemic."<ref name="NewYorkTimes1"/><ref name="QueeringIndia"/><ref>Ghosh, Shohini and Madhavi Shahani Kapur. [http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/__e52568520028afa7.nsf/0/6d89e7d5733ec1456525693e005c85d4!OpenDocument "From the frying pan to the Fire, Fear of Fire]{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''[[Communalism Combat]]'', 1 January 1999. Accessed 11 March 2008.</ref> Furthermore, Thackery claimed that the film was an attack on [[Hinduism]] because the protagonists were named [[Sita]] and [[Radha]], both significant goddesses in [[Hindu]] belief, and that he would withdraw his objections to the film if the names were changed to Muslim names.<ref>"Hindu leader says lesbian film should be about Moslem family", ''[[Agence France-Presse]]'', 14 December 1998. Accessed 12 March 2008.</ref>

A statement issued from the Shiv Sena's women's wing said, "If women's physical needs get fulfilled through lesbian acts, the institution of marriage will collapse, reproduction of human beings will stop."<ref name="QueeringIndia"/><ref>McGirk, Tim. [https://web.archive.org/web/20010212095219/http://www.time.com/time/asia/asia/magazine/1998/981221/under_fire1.html "Plenty of Smoke Over Fire"] ''[[Time Asia]]'' 21 December 1998. Accessed 13 March 2008.</ref> Critics charged the Shiv Sena of committing "cultural terrorism"<ref name="Reuters1">"Indian activists force cinema to call off 'Fire'", ''[[Reuters News]]'', 18 December 1998. Accessed 11 March 2008.</ref> and of using the rhetoric of "Indian tradition" to protest images of female independence and suppress freedom of speech.<ref>Menon, Ritu. [http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19981209/34350564.html "The fire within"]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''[[The Indian Express]]'', 9 December 1998. Accessed 13 March 2008.</ref> "The justification for [Shiv Sena's] action... demonstrates that Indian 'culture' for the [[Sangh Parivar]] is defined essentially in terms of male control over female sexuality."<ref name="QueeringIndia"/><ref>Upadhya, Carol. "Set This House on Fire", ''[[Economic and Political Weekly]]'', 12 December 1998, 3176–77.</ref>

Gay activist [[Ashok Row Kavi]] criticised the [[Shiv Sena]]'s protests as "gay-bashing" and disputed their claims that lesbianism was "against Indian tradition", indicating that homosexuality is in fact abundantly present in [[Hinduism]] and that the criminalisation of homosexuality was a legacy of [[British colonialism]], heavily informed by Christianity.<ref name="activistsslam"/> Pointing to evidence of lesbianism in Indian tradition, he said, "What's wrong in two women having sex? If they think it doesn't happen in the Indian society they should see the sculptures of [[Khajuraho]] or [[Konark]]."<ref name="QueeringIndia"/><ref>[http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19981203/33750654.html "Sena attacks theatres to douse Fire"]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''[[The Indian Express]]'', 3 December 1998. Accessed 10 March 2008.</ref>

Feminist critics of Mehta's films argue that Mehta's portrayal of women and gender relations is over-simplified. Noted Indian feminist authors [[Mary E. John]] and [[Tejaswini Niranjana]] wrote in 1999 that ''Fire'' reduces [[patriarchy]] to the denial and control of female sexuality. The authors make the point that the film traps itself in its own rendering of patriarchy:
<blockquote>
Control of female sexuality is surely one of the ''ideological'' planks on which patriarchy rests. But by taking this idea literally, the film imprisons itself in the very ideology it seeks to fight, its own version of authentic reality being nothing but a mirror image of patriarchal discourse. 'Fire' ends up arguing that the successful assertion of sexual choice is not only a necessary but also a sufficient condition—indeed, the sole criterion—for the emancipation of women. Thus the patriarchal ideology of 'control' is first reduced to pure denial – as though such control did not also involve the production and amplification of sexuality – and is later simply inverted to produce the film's own vision of women's liberation as free sexual 'choice.' (1999:582)
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Whatever subversive potential 'Fire' might have had (as a film that makes visible the 'naturalised' hegemony of [[heterosexuality]] in contemporary culture, for example) is nullified by its largely [[masculinist]] assumption that men should not neglect the sexual needs of their wives, lest they turn lesbian (1999:583).
</blockquote>
The authors additionally argue that viewers must ask tough questions from films such as ''Fire'' that place themselves in the realm of "alternative" cinema and aim to occupy not only aesthetic, but also political space (Economic and Political Weekly, 6–13 March 1999).

[[Madhu Kishwar]], then-editor of ''[[Manushi]]'', wrote a highly critical review of ''Fire'', finding fault with the depiction of the characters in the film as a "mean spirited caricature of middle class family life among urban Indians". She claimed that homosexuality was socially accepted in India as long as it remained a private affair, adding that [[Deepa Mehta|Mehta]] "did a disservice to the cause of women... by crudely pushing the Radha-Sita relationship into the lesbian mould," as women would now be unable to form intimate relationships with other women without being branded as lesbians.<ref>Kishwar, Madhu. [http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/__e5256852001e3a90.nsf/0/df4e59a95be275e06525693f001ae98e!OpenDocument&Highlight=0,fire,kishwar "Naive Outpourings of a Self-Hating Indian: Deepa Mehta's Fire"]{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''[[Manushi]]'', 1 January 1998. Accessed 15 March 2008.</ref>

[[Deepa Mehta]] expressed frustration in interviews that the film was consistently described as a lesbian film. She said, "lesbianism is just another aspect of the film...''Fire'' is not a film about lesbians," but rather about "the choices we make in life."<ref>Verma, Suparn. [http://www.rediff.com/entertai/oct/24deep.htm "An interview with Deepa Mehta"] ''[[Rediff.com]]'', 24 October 1997. Accessed 10 March 2008.</ref><ref>Deshpande, Manisha. [http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/art.nsf/(docid)/F44A47D309536C5C6525694000620188?OpenDocument "In the line of fire"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716105128/http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/art.nsf/(docid)/F44A47D309536C5C6525694000620188?OpenDocument |date=16 July 2011 }} ''[[The Indian Express]]'', 13 December 1998. Accessed 12 March 2008.</ref>

In 2010, veteran film critic and activist Shoni Ghosh wrote a book named ''[[Fire: A Queer Film Classic]]'' that studies in detail the movie as well the controversies ignited by the film. The book detail the situations that lead to the chaos and its aftermath.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.arsenalpulp.com/seriesinfo.php?index=10 |title=Archived copy |access-date=27 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130701153131/http://www.arsenalpulp.com/seriesinfo.php?index=10 |archive-date=1 July 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Soundtrack==
{{Infobox album
| name = Fire: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
| type = [[Film score]]
| artist = [[A. R. Rahman]]
| cover =
| released = [[Bollywood films of 1996|1996]]
| recorded = [[Panchathan Record Inn]]
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = [[Film soundtrack|Feature film soundtrack]]
| length =
| label = Colosseum Records
| producer = [[Bobby Bedi]]
| prev_title = [[Kadhal Desam]]
| prev_year = 1996
| year = 1996
| next_title = [[Mr. Romeo]]
| next_year = 1996
}}
The soundtrack was composed and performed by [[A. R. Rahman]] except for tracks "Ramayan" and "Allah Hu". "Julie's Theme" and "China Town" were added as bonus tracks and were not used in the movie. [[A. R. Rahman]] reused or reworked some of his acclaimed songs from ''[[Bombay (soundtrack)|Bombay]]''.

{| class="wikitable tracklist" style="font-size:95%;"
! Song !! Notes
|-
| "[[Bombay Theme|Bombay Theme Intro]]" || Instrumental
|-
| "Radha and Sita Love Theme" || Instrumental
|-
| "Sita's Theme" || Instrumental
|-
| "Radha's Theme" || Instrumental
|-
| "[[Bombay (soundtrack)|Antha Arabikkadaloram]]" || [[A. R. Rahman]]
|-
| "Mundus Fantasy Part 1" || Instrumental
|-
| "Mundus Fantasy Part 2" || Instrumental
|-
| "Desire Night" || Instrumental
|-
| "Bangle's Theme" || Instrumental
|-
| "Ramayan" || Instrumental <small>(written by Ramayan Theatrical Group)</small>
|-
| "Allah Hu" || Miraj Ahmed <small>(written by Miraj Ahmed)</small>
|-
| "Radha's Confession" || Instrumental
|-
| "Passion" || Instrumental
|-
| "Bombay Theme Finale Radha's Soul" || Instrumental
|-
| "Julies Theme" || Instrumental
|-
| "China Town" || Instrumental
|}

==See also==
* ''[[The Journey (2004 film)|The Journey]]'' (2004)
* ''[[Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga]]'' (2019)
* [[List of LGBT films directed by women]]
* [[Homosexuality in India]]
* [[Freedom of expression in India]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0116308|Fire}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|1095795-fire|Fire}}
* {{Metacritic film|fire|Fire}}
* [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19970919%2FREVIEWS%2F709190302%2F1023&AID1=%2F19970919%2FREVIEWS%2F709190302%2F1023&AID2= Roger Ebert's Review]
* [http://www.altfg.com/blog/film-reviews/fire-deepa-mehta-azmi-nandita-das/ Detailed critique of ''Fire'']
* [https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20101212005343/http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/30/fire.html Analyzing feminism in ''Fire'']
* [http://www.rediff.com/entertai/oct/24deep.htm Interview with Deepa Mehta]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080202203950/http://media.opencultures.net/queer/ Queering Bollywood]
* [http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/__e52568520028afa7.nsf/0/652e99a7c2bc0a796525693e005c85db!OpenDocument&Highlight=0,fire History's Flirtation with Fire: Documenting the Controversy]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* Roy, Pinaki. "''Above the Quilt'': Homosexuality in select Bollywood Films and Indo-Anglian Novels".''Contemporary Discourse'', 9.1 (January 2018): 420–23.

{{Deepa Mehta}}
{{LGBT in India}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fire (1996 Film)}}
[[Category:1996 films]]
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:Canadian films]]
[[Category:English-language Indian films]]
[[Category:1990s Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:1996 LGBT-related films]]
[[Category:1996 romantic drama films]]
[[Category:Indian erotic drama films]]
[[Category:Indian independent films]]
[[Category:Indian-Canadian films]]
[[Category:Indian LGBT-related films]]
[[Category:Canadian romantic drama films]]
[[Category:Canadian erotic drama films]]
[[Category:Canadian independent films]]
[[Category:Canadian LGBT-related films]]
[[Category:Films scored by A. R. Rahman]]
[[Category:Indian feminist films]]
[[Category:Films about adultery in India]]
[[Category:Films about women in India]]
[[Category:Films based on short fiction]]
[[Category:Films directed by Deepa Mehta]]
[[Category:Films set in Delhi]]
[[Category:LGBT-related drama films]]
[[Category:Lesbian-related films]]
[[Category:LGBT-related controversies in film]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies in film]]
[[Category:1990s erotic drama films]]
[[Category:Erotic romance films]]