FIRE

Canada, 1996, 108 minutes, Colour.
Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das, Javed Jaffrey, Ranjit Chowdhry, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Alice Poon.
Directed by Deepa Mehta.

Fire is the work of Indian-born, Canadian resident since 1973, Deepa Mehta. After making a number of films in North America, including Camilla with Bridget Fonda and Jessica Tandy, Deepa Mehta returned to India for the first in what became a trilogy, Fire, Earth, Water.

Earth, made in 1997, was set in the times of partition. Water took several years to make owing to hostility of the part of many Indians to the director because of Fire and because of perceived themes of breaking tradition in the screenplay for Water. Ultimately, Water was filmed in Sri Lanka and was nominated for best foreign language Oscar for 2006.

Fire is set in the 1990s, a changing India, an awareness of the rest of the world, the world of new technologies, a world challenging the long religious and cultural traditions.

The film focuses on an arranged marriage, the couple living in the home of the family, with brother, sister-in-law, mother, servant.

The wife, seemingly a simple young woman with little experience, is still something of a rebel. She reacts against the arranged marriage, her husband seeing a Chinese woman on the side. She is attracted to her sister-in-law who fulfils all the traditions of the Indian wife. However, she is unable to have children. Her husband continually goes to gurus, seeking spiritual perfection and having taken a vow of celibacy. In the house, the servant feels put-upon, is sexuality frustrated, ultimately betraying the confidences of the members of the household. The old mother has had a stroke and can communicate only facially and by ringing a bell.

The film shows the detail of this somewhat hothouse experience. However, the film raised controversy because of the attraction between the two women and their relationship. This had not been portrayed in Indian films and there were several riots when the film was screened. However, the treatment is very discreet even though it actually probes the nature of the relationship, the effect on the women, freedom, moral judgments in the light of traditions and the challenge to them.

1.The beginning of Deepa Mehta’s trilogy? The elemental titles? The role of India, women in India and tradition, men? Society, religion and tradition?

2.Deepa Mehta and the difficulty with the films in India, riots, challenge? Her experience of Canada and the North American experience?

3.The controversy, women rebelling, the challenge to tradition, males and arranged marriages, their private behaviour, male dominance, women as servants, restricted? The lesbian theme? The naming of the experience of desire?

4.The 1990s, a contemporary story, change, life in Delhi, the modern style, men and their clothes, the contrast with the women and their clothes, men and their manners, women’s place? Relationships, arranged marriages, sexuality (and the pornographic videos and behaviour, especially by the servant)? Marital relationships, virginity? Modern music? Women changing? The theme of duty?

5.The motif throughout the film, Radha as a little girl, her parents, sitting in the field of flowers, wanting to see the sea, her mother urging her to look within, the mind’s eye? The application of this motif to Radha? The ending of the film and her satisfaction of seeing the sea? Imagining it? In relationship to desire and relationships?

6.The introduction to Sita, the Taj Mahal, the honeymoon, her husband, Jatin as casual, his remarks, the talk about the movies, his liking Kung Fu and action, the tour, the explanation of the Taj Mahal, marriage, death, husband and wife together, the chopping off of the hand of the architect so that it would be unique, his drilling a hole so that it would be imperfect? Symbolic of what was happening in the marriage?

7.The introduction to Radha, in the house, the family, Biji and her stroke, being waited on, ringing the bell, helpless, needing to be fed, cleaned? Ashok and his difficulties? His going to the guru, sitting at his feet, learning Hindu wisdom? The servant and his work in the house? The style of the family, work, sense of duty?

8.Jatin and Sita and their arrival, the reverence to Biji, Jatin going out, his relationship with Julie, his being out of the house, betraying Sita? The discussion about the arranged marriage, Julie refusing to become an Indian wife? Jatin and Sita, coming to the home, the introduction to Biji, the reverence? Jatin going out, his relationship with Julie, her unwillingness to marry, not wanting to become an Indian wife? His relationship with Sita, Sita in the room, trying on the trousers, the modern dance, being ashamed, not hearing the bell? Explanations to Radha?

9.The pattern of the daily life, the food and the takeaway, Ashok taking the orders, the women cooking, the servant and his role, Jatin selling the videos, the pornographic videos, Mundu and his taking the video upstairs, sexual behaviour, in front of Biji? Her disgust? The special clients? Selling the video to the boys? This kind of life as the pattern for entire life?

10.Sita and Jatin, the truth, the photo of Julie, Sita on the roof, discussions with Radha, changing attitude? Jatin and the meal with Julie’s family, the father explaining the cultural revolution, migrating from China, dissatisfaction with India, the bigotry of Indians against foreigners? Sita permitting her husband to have the affair? The first sexual encounter, the blood, her cleaning it? His casual attitude? Eventually refusing Jatin?

11.Radha as a strong character, thirteen years of marriage, her husband’s celibacy, her inability to have children, the various doctors’ opinions? Serving, cooking, sense of duty, feeding Biji? The talk on the roof? Sita and the kiss, the challenge? The relationship between the two, sexual? The effect? The massage of the feet? Mundu and his spying? The bonds between the two women?

12.Ashok and the guru, spirituality, Mundu telling him about his wife, his seeing it, imagining it, his shock, his talk about forgiveness, his rough attitude towards his wife? Dismay?

13.The play, the gods, the relationships, the characters of the story enacting the parts of the gods? Jatin with his sunglasses?

14.Sita and Radha, their talk, Radha’s reflection on her whole life, relationships, the moral issues, judgments? Her explaining her past to Ashok? Her leaving?

15.Biji, spitting on Radha?

16.The fire, Ashok standing, Sita waiting, Radha coming – and their leaving?

17.The questions the film raised about traditions, desire, relationships, the norms, change, understanding?