Rent Fire (1996)
3.7 of 5 from 93 ratings
1h 47min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
A desire for independence and personal expression clashes with tradition in director Deepa Mehta's love story with a twist exploring family values, love and loyalty in India. With Sita (Nandita Das) arrives at the New Dehli home of Jatin (Jaaved Jaaferi), her husband in an arranged marriage, she soon discovers that untold secrets and lies are simmering beneath the happy surface. But what is the real reason behind the strange tension between Jatin's brother Ashok (Kulbushan Kharbanda) and his duty-bound wife Radha (Shabana Azmi)? What part does their elderly paralysed mother Biji (Kushal Rekhi) play in the unfolding drama? And why is Sita so keen to rebel against the notion of unquestioning devotion to one's husband? A cataclysmic event is about to turn everyone's world upside down as the harsh realities of contemporary Indian society are put under the spotlight. - Actors:
- Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das, Karishma Jhalani, Ramanjeet Kaur, Dilip Mehta, Javed Jaffrey, Vinay Pathak, Kushal Rekhi, Ranjit Chowdhry, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Alice Poon, Ram Gopal Bajaj, Ravinder Happy, Devyani Saltzman, Sunil Chhabra, Avijit Dutt, Shasea Bahadur, Meher Chand, Bahadur Chand, Puran
- Directors:
- Deepa Mehta
- Writers:
- Deepa Mehta
- Studio:
- Pathe
- Genres:
- Bollywood, Lesbian & Gay
- Collections:
- A Brief History of Lesbian Cinema
- Countries:
- India
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Reviews (2) of Fire
truly sublime - Fire review by MM
A real corker of a film, moving, engrossing very sexy yet loving, also India from a modern angle, watch it really a fantastic film
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Landmark film in Indian cinema - Fire review by TE
This film would be a courageous enterprise today, so it is sobering to think that it was made some 23 years ago.
Cinemas in several Indian cities were attacked by rightwing extremists, opposed to the depiction of lesbianism as a valid choice for women imprisoned within a rigid patriarchal culture.
The film is about desire and the extent to which we have the right to make choices in life. It is part of a trilogy, with 'Water' and 'Earth'.
Deepa Mehta tells the story with sensuous grace, and the film is full of beautifully composed, richly textured frames.
Shabana Azmi, as Radha, gives a magnificent performance, full of power and integrity.
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