The film is set in contemporary Delhi, India, in the household of a joint family which runs a fast-food and video business in the ground floor of their two-story home. The protagonists are the two daughters-in-law, both of whom have joined the family by marriage: Sita [Nandita Das], who is newly wed to the younger son Jatin [Javed Jaffrey]; and Radha [Shabana Azmi], who has been married to the elder son Ashok [Kulbhushan Kharbanda] for 15 years. Both couples are unhappy. Jatin, who feels he has been pressured into marriage by the family, neglects Sita and continues to see his Chinese girlfriend. Ashok has chosen to become a tapasvin [an ascetic] after discovering that Radha is infertile, and has been using her to test his resolve in celibacy for 13 years. The two women turn to each other for solace and become lovers. Tipped off by a servant, Ashok discovers them in bed together. Sita leaves, while Radha, who wishes to explain matters to Ashok, promises to meet her outside to start a new life together. In the confrontation that follows, Radhas sari catches fire from the kitchen stove and Ashok abandons her in flames. In the final scene, the two women are reunited.

Soundtrack

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Track #	Song	Singer[s]	Lyrics
1	Bombay Theme Intro	Instrumental	[Instrumental]
2	Radha and Sita Love Theme	Instrumental	[Instrumental]
3	Sitas Theme	Instrumental	[Instrumental]
4	Radhas Theme	A. R. Rahman	[Instrumental]
5	Antha Arabikkadaloram	Instrumental	Vairamuthu
6	Mundus Fantasy Part 1	Instrumental	[Instrumental]
7	Mundus Fantasy Part 2	Instrumental	[Instrumental]
8	Desire Night	Instrumental	[Instrumental]
9	Bangles Theme	Instrumental	[Instrumental]
10	Ramayan	Ramayan Theatrical Group	[Ramayan Theatrical Group]
11	Allah Hu	Qawwali by Miraj Ahmed	[Qawwali by Miraj Ahmed]
12	Radhas Confession	Instrumental	[Instrumental]
13	Passion	Instrumental	[Instrumental]
14	Bombay Theme Finale Radhas Soul	Instrumental	[Instrumental]
15	Julies Theme	Instrumental	[Instrumental]
16	China Town	Instrumental	[Instrumental]

Reception

In the initial weeks following the release of Fire, reviewers praised the films explicit depiction of a homosexual relationship as "gutsy", "explosive", "pathbreaking". 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 criticized as "not a part of Indian history or culture." 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." Speaking on the dangers of Fire, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackery compared lesbianism to "a sort of a social AIDS" which might "spread like an epidemic." 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. A statement issued from the Shiv Senas womens wing said, "If womens physical needs get fulfilled through lesbian acts, the institution of marriage will collapse, reproduction of human beings will stop." Critics charged the Shiv Sena of committing "cultural terrorism" and of using the rhetoric of "Indian tradition" to protest images of female independence and suppress freedom of speech. "The justification for [Shiv Senas] action... demonstrates that Indian culture for the Sangh Parivar is defined essentially in terms of male control over female sexuality." Gay activist Ashok Row Kavi criticized the Shiv Senas 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 criminalization of homosexuality was a legacy of British colonialism, heavily informed by Christianity. Pointing to evidence of lesbianism in Indian tradition, he said, "Whats wrong in two women having sex? If they think it doesnt happen in the Indian society they should see the sculptures of Khajuraho or Konark." Feminist critics of Mehtas films argue that Mehtas 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: 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, March 6-13, 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 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. 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."

Events surrounding screenings of fire in india

right Fire was passed uncut by Indias censor board [the Central Board of Film Certification] in May 1998 with a rating of Adult, the only condition being that the character Sitas name be changed to Nita. The film was first screened on 13 November 1998 and ran to full houses in most metropolitan cities throughout India for almost 3 weeks. On 2 December more than 200 Shiv Sanaiks stormed a Cinemax theatre in suburban Goregaon in Mumbai, smashing glass panes, burning posters and shouting slogans. They compelled managers to refund tickets to moviegoers. On 3 December a Regal theatre in Delhi was similarly stormed. Bajrang Dal workers with lathis invaded Rajpalace and Rajmahal in Surat, breaking up everything in sight and driving away frightened audiences. 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. Chief Minister Manohar Joshi supported the actions to shut down screenings of Fire, saying, "I congratulate them for what they have done. The films theme is alien to our culture." On 4 December the film was referred back to the Censor Board for a re-examination. The Indian government was criticized for siding with the vandalizers. 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. 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. On 7 December Deepa Mehta led a candlelit protest in New Delhi with activists from 32 organizations against the withdrawal of Fire, carrying placards, shouting anti-Shiv Sena slogans and crying for the freedom of right to expression. On 12 December about 60 Shiv Sena men stripped down to their underwear and squatted in front of Dilip Kumars house to protest his support of Fire. 22 were arrested and Kumar, as well as others involved in the production of the film were provided with police security. Cinemax reopened screenings of Fire on 18 December but a hundred members of the Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] vandalized posters at the Sundar Theatre in Kanpur despite the police commissioners reassurance that protection has been arranged. Fire was re-released without cuts by the Censor Board on 12 February 1999. Theatre screenings were resumed on February 26 and continued without incident.