Fire Power

Two years ago, Deepa Mehta's Fire premiered at the Toronto film festival, where the young director made such an impact that Al Pacino and Wh...

Two years ago, Deepa Mehta8217;s Fire premiered at the Toronto film festival, where the young director made such an impact that Al Pacino and Whoopi Goldberg, whose film was also being screened, were pushed off the magazine covers. It was Mehta all the way. Fire soon became the toast of other major festivals around the world 8212; it got released in 33 countries and went on to win 14 international awards.

This week, Fire finally made it to the Indian theatres, but not without its share of controversy, though. At the 1996 International Film Festival of India in Thiruvananthapuram, where the film was also screened, one viewer actually asked the theatre-owner to show him who Deepa Mehta was, so that he could kill her. On the other hand, women came up to her, wept and said how grateful they were to put their loneliness on record.

Within the media, too, the reactions been mixed. Some critics have called it mere pornography; others have hailed it as sheer poetry. Much to Mehta8217;s surprise, though, the regional-language media have reacted to it more perceptively than their English counterpart. Deepa has made history, in fact, for the censors, despite their morality blinkers, cleared her film, lesbian love scenes and all, without a single cut.

Although there have been previews of Fire, somehow I kept missing them, so I got to see the film just the other day. It8217;s a beautiful and courageous film that delves into the sub-conscious and sets you thinking about the many barriers we are hemmed in by. The film is essentially about the struggle to find a voice in a society where not just women, but even men are caught up in playing stereotypical roles. Fire is about choices and the need for a soulmate, not merely about lesbian love, as it unfortunately is being made out to be. Fire, in fact, is a quiet revolution.

What makes Fire even more special is that it has come at a time when Hollywood has almost forgotten about basic human needs and emotions. There seems to be an abundance of films like Avenger, Armageddon, Fifth Element, Deep Impact, all with Let us save the earth8217; themes. So caught up is the West in creating special effects and computer-generated images, that a genuinely sensitive film which touches the soul and talks about basic human emotions has become a rarity.

It is such a great feeling to meet up with a vibrant young filmmaker with whom women like me can relate to instantly. The last time I met Deepa was just after she had finished shooting Earth in Delhi. Earth, too, premiered at the recent Toronto festival, where the director got a standing ovation. Deepa tells me that Aamir Khan, who had gone for the premiere, had the Canadian media calling him the Al Pacino of India. The music by A. R. Rahman was another big hit.

Set against the backdrop of Partition and based on a novel by the US-based Pakistani writer Bapsi Sidhwa, the film has sold out internationally and is slated for a February release in India. It is ironical, therefore, that at the next International Film Festival of India at Hyderabad, Earth has been sidelined and the authorities have chosen to open with a film by an obscure French filmmaker. The festival authorities would do well to reconsider the decision.

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Equally ridiculous is the choice of ignoring Fire and sending Jeans as the Indian film entry for the Oscars. And in case you haven8217;t heard of Jeans, well, it was the Rs 10-crore disaster where Aishwarya Rai pranced around the seven wonders of the world in a blonde wig.

Well, a fire rages on about Fire, but Deepa is already looking ahead 8212; she is busy writing her next film Water to complete the trilogy. It is about a relationship that develops between a widow in Benares and a visiting English botanist. Looking at Mehta8217;s track record, this film, too, looks well on its way to be another winner.