Fire

The first in a trilogy encompassing ‘Fire’, ‘Earth’ and ‘Water’, Deepa Mehta’s engrossing study of a lesbian affair interweaves sexual repression, pressure-cooker desire, crumbling patriarchy and cultural transformation in contemporary India. The tugging away of traditional structures reflects social changes and the tension of modernism occurring across the sub-continent. Radha, the driving force behind husband Ashok’s New Delhi restaurant, cohabits peacefully, if at times uneasily, with her in-laws upstairs. Their barren 15 year old marriage is rent asunder by the arrival of sister-in-law Sita, a confident modern young wife who poses questions Radha would rather not face. Their husbands’ complacency and neglect draws the women into a tender relationship which detonates into tragedy. Cast includes Shaban Azmi, Nandita Das, Kulbushan Kharband and Jaared Jaaferi. In English and Bengali with English subtitles.