Conservative Chennai srorched by Fire

CHENNAI, Jan 12: It's come as a flame of hope for the run-down Anand theatre on arterial Anna Salai. For the first time, in the last six ...

CHENNAI, Jan 12: It8217;s come as a flame of hope for the run-down Anand theatre on arterial Anna Salai. For the first time, in the last six months, the houseful boards have emerged out of the theatre8217;s dingy rooms and are gleaming right above the ticket counters 8212; all four shows.

And, if you had any doubts, it8217;s the Fire that has set off the windfall collections at the old theatre which has not heard of advance booking for sometime now until the film happened. The condemnatory statements from Thackeray8217;s men and Jayalalitha notwithstanding, the controversial film, Fire is quite a hot stuff in conservative Chennai.

From teenyboppers to middle-aged married women to doubly-bent grandmas8230; they8217;re all there queueing up before the ticket counters at Anand theatre. 8220;In the noon and matinee shows, the women in the audience outnumber the men. And these are women who appear to be educated and from upper middle class,8221; says the theatre8217;s managing partner, U Karunakaran. In the last two weeks alone,the film has grossed about Rs 10 lakh minus tax and spurred by the surprise response, the theatre organised an exclusive show for women.

Surprisingly, there8217;s not a hint of embarrassment on the faces of any of these women walking in to watch the explosive Fire. Ask the prim house-wife Kasthuri Rangachari who has come along with her retired husband to 8220;see the film for what it8217;s worth8221;. 8220;There8217;s nothing outrageous about the film. If some people are lesbians, they already are. they don8217;t become lesbians after watching this movie.8221;

And the gaggle of twittering college girls joining the scramble for the hot selling Fire tickets too, give those what8217;s wrong about watching the film8217; looks. 8220;Like violence, it8217;s lesbianism also happening. So what8217;s wrong about portraying it?8221; they ask. But a few of these gals do nervously add: 8220;Don8217;t mention our names. Our parents may not be too comfortable.8221;

But it8217;s not as if the film is shunned by the family types. 8220;Thirty members of a conservativeSouth Indian family, including an 80 plus woman watched the movie,8221; informs the theatre manager.

Pushing 80 and hard of hearing, B V Naidu looks the typical old guy who would swear by the devotional stuff like the latest Kannathal8217; in town. But curiosity, you see8217; has driven him to a date with Deepa Mehta8217;s Fire.

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8220;I want to see what the hell this movie is all about that it is so hotly debated,8221; confesses a very pious looking engineering college student, with streaks of kumkum and sandal paste across his forehead.

But if Deepa Mehta and her heroines, Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das thought that they were making a statement against the stiflingly rigid Indian patriarchal society, the message just washes over the motley audience. For the men looking for some bare-dare8217; stuff, it is a big disappointment. And if anything, a few scenes in the film bring out adverse reactions. The actor who plays the role of Shabana Azmi8217;s husband invites derisive remarks like, 8220;Are you masculine at all?8221;

Butwhatever the responses, the film is thriving on controversies and drawing more crowds even as the fire-spitting local Shiv Sena men have launched into a protest. The film which was pulled out of a premier theatre after a week8217;s unsuccessful run, is a big hit now thanks to the crescendo of protests. So much so, another theatre, Rohini in suburban Koyambedu has taken the plunge into Fire

as well. And the Anand theatre plans to screen the film for three more weeks, if the protests do not take violent turn. Until then, the film will draw both criticism and crowds.