Fire Alarm

OK i`ll stick my neck out and say it: i DID NOT like fire. really. such-mooch. do women fall in love with each other when their husbands are sexually unavailable? are chinese women in india exotic, sexual objects? the whole premise of the movie was so problematic. and the trial by fire of sita (shabana azmi)in the end ever so cliched (a la bollywood).

but, this whole business about censoring it. its just fascism.

re Anaamika:
I got distracted by FerozK`s reply.
Even in `Earth` there all kinds of serious issues that can be used and abused by all kinds of people seeking political mileage.
But sadly, the theme of the movie is the same.
- man
- The fall of Man
- THe big fallout
- the main victims are `the underclass` in general, and of course WOMEN

regards
RanaRansher

re: FerozK
Reading your views is always a very uplifting experience. Intellectual renaissance. Very well said.
Incidently, I saw `Earth` last night. Another good film. I must say Indian cinema is coming of age. The topic of debate after the movie was how (if ever !) that movie will be released in India. What with Fire (which seemed mildly controversial compared to the uncensored Earth) causing so much controversy, God knows what `Earth` will do ?
But again censorship is no solution. Not showing problems does not make the problems go away. On the contrary, over time `skeletons` in the closet tend to re-incarnate as much bigger and more potent `ghosts` later.

regards
RanaRansher

Like the lines of the hymn ``Amazing Grace`` says...I was lost and now I am found....I was blind, but now I can see....

This post need not necessarily be reflective of the topic, but I feel nevertheless to say this. Herr Josef Goebbles, Hitler`s spinmeister once, said that a lie told repeatedly, over a period of time, becomes the truth. The existence of censorship is to prevent truth from being heard and those who censor truth, do so because they feel that we are not capable of understanding it.

Before I came to the west, I would mouth the same patriotic rhethoric that some child is still uttering. I was quite content to let the events which decided the course of my life unfold. I was happy to let others think for me and I was supremely confidient in the infallibility of my own ignorance. Now over the years, as I have grown older, I know there is much that I do not know and will never know. In the west, I was confronted with ideas and knowledge that questioned the very basis of what I had once believed. It was the begining of my intellectual renassiance.

I resent all forms of censorship and yokes of mental inslavery, because I was slave to it once. If truth is supposed to set us free, why do we tolerate being imprisoned and hobbled by the chain of lies that bind our future?

Censorship is the tool of the weak. It will only succed to the extent that we let it and it will perish once we do not accept the fact that every question that begins with ``why`` has to end with ``because..`` We should all, in the words of Moses in the Torah, say to our political pharoahs, ``let my people go`` and give us our mental emancipation.

Shiv Sena`s reaction has nothing to with religion or a theocracy. It is goonda gardi. In this case tHey want to shove their own moral and social values (which are not rooted in religion) down everybody else`s throat. Also the Womens Shiv Sena vehemently opposes the movie and does not see it as a womens issue.
THe movie challenges a lot of the very foundation of Indian society. Lesbianism and sex are just an outcome which help explore a whole new taboo area in contemporary Indian society.. The characters and the `individual worlds` portrayed in the movie are so real that when they collide, it is indeed disturbing. And, yes, even with all the tormented souls in the movie the women unfortunately bear the brunt of the fallout in the end. (Although I wonder why Beeji reacted to her bahu the way she did. Was she just venting her anger on someone weaker than her ?)
Most people are shocked by the movie and it causes them to intorspect. But the Shiv Sena....oh well thats a different story.
The movie is definitely a milestone of sorts in Indian cinema. I can`t wait for her next movie `Earth`. Promises to explore some Hindu/Muslim taboos. The sneak previews are going on right now. I wonder when it will be available for general release. I don`t think it is made in English so I guess it probably wont play in the US.

re: mansoor -

``Earth`` is based on the novel ``Cracking India`` by Bapsi Sidhwa. The novel was first published in 1988 in the subcontinent and in England as ``Ice-Candy-Man.`` It`s about Partition as seen through the eyes of a Parsi child - the most objective voice an author could choose to comment on the madness rampant at the time. The book is excellent - i recommend it highly to anyone.

Its movie ``Earth`` received a standing ovation at the Toronto Film Festival a couple of months ago, and will be screened in New York this weekend by the Asia Society. Deepa Mehta was planning to attend the screening, but the furor over ``Fire`` has her busy in India. If ``Fire`` has attracted controversy, ``Earth`` will probably continue to fan the flames - the topic of Partition has always been a touchy one, and ``Earth`` pulls no punches for either side. We need to defend everyone`s right to make and watch such movies.

If you are reading this, please take a couple of seconds to copy the following text and email it to the Indian ambassador in Washington at

amb-washington@indiagov.org. The Washington website of the Indian embassy is www.indianembassy.org. Deepa Mehta is taking on a lot of big powerful people like Shiv Sena`s Bal Thackeray - please help her out by showing your support.

This request is urgent because the petition filed by Deepa Mehta and some prominent members of the Indian film community, stating that ``Fire``

should not be resubmitted for censorship, is fixed for hearing on Dec.15. Make the Indian embassy aware she isn`t alone. Thank you. Here`s the text of the petition:

_____________________

We request the Indian Government to protect freedom of artistic expression in India. The Shiv Sena party has violently forced the Deepa Mehta film ``Fire`` off Delhi and Bombay theaters because ``Lesbianism is not Indian tradition ... `Fire` could have a bad influence on Hindu culture.``

``Fire,`` which has won 14 international awards, is not about lesbianism‚ but about a woman`s right to choose - to break from traditions that shackle

her to subservient roles.

The film has been cleared by the Indian censor board. Any objection to this film should be made in a court of law and not by hooligans taking the

law into their own hands.

Deepa Mehta`s ``Fire`` has been subjected to terrorism. Freedom of artistic expression, not cultural tyranny, is India`s tradition. We want

you to protect the freedom of artists to express themselves in India. We also want you to protect the theaters, viewers, cast and all those associated with the production of Fire.

Thank you,

(SIGN HERE)

A nice pithy appraisal of the reaction following the movie. I recently heard Shabana Azmi on NPR (Fresh Air) talk about the uncensored release of Fire with more than a little pride (pride at having been part of the movie and at having India release it unedited to public theaters). I do feel sorry for her and for all others who thought the movie truly moving and were glad that people back home would appreciate rather than denounce the reality it portrays.

I do think the jump from the riots to women in a theocracy is a bit acrobatic, although the statement that they are the worst losers in a theocracy while not (in my opinion) substantiated by the recent riots is supportable. Perhaps in another article?

I believe that any film which is made on any taboo

topic would elicit a similar response, regardless

of anything else. Deepa Mehta`s film passed the

censors and actually showed in theatres in India. But a film like ``Masala`` by Srinivas Krishna (a male director) was banned in India. Though Masala is a satirical comedy on desis in Toronto, it was banned because of the sex shown in it. There are more well known female film and drama directors in Pakistan than males. And it is sad to see how many

of them exploit their own gender. But the good news is that many new and upcoming directors (both female and male) in Pakistan are coming up with some really great concepts, and we can all be witness to this in the next few years.

Fire by deepa mehta is an excellent movie..and the reactions it has incited in india were to be expected....though as deepa mehta points out in several interviews that this film is not about lesbianism, most viewers see it as one. But i would want to applaud for deepa mehta to have made

a film addressing some very pertinent issues which

havent been shown many times. To those of you who

liked Fire...i suggest to watch ``My Beautiful

Laundrette,`` and ``The Buddha of Suburbia.``

Fire is the first part in a trilogy which includes

``Earth`` (staring Amir Khan and others), and ``Water.`` Earth is based on a Bapsi Sidwa novel ( i can`t recall the name, does anyone know ?), and its showed at the Toronto Film Fest, and is due to release in select theatres very soon.

If anyone wants to know more about the film, check out the www.zeitgeist.com who are releasing the film and have a lot of info on deepa mehta. Also ``rediff on the net`` (type this on the yahoo search engine), has an interview of deepa mehta.

Additionally, a ``not so well known`` but an excellent director in Pakistan, Mehreen Jabbar has made a short film titled: ``Beauty Parlor,`` which deals with female sexuality, the gay issue in pakistan, among other ``taboo`` topics. This short film played in England and got great responses. For more info on this particular film check out the web site on Tasveer Productions.

An interesting comment about an excellent film. For all readers especially those who can handle seeing it, it is a must-see. We`ve probably all seen western films that deal with adultery, desire, and possible even homosexuality, but it is especially affecting when you see this in the desi context. In some ways it could be considered liberating for women, although in some ways it is also depressing to see how mistreated women are.

``it doesn`t have any scenes that substantiate the charges of obscenity brought against it``

This is obviously a matter of opinion. [For those of you haven`t seen the film and don`t wish to have a great scene ruined, skip the following few lines] -- especially when you consider the scene where the servant masturbates in front of the old woman. Regardless, it`s a powerful scene that has an important place in the film.

If this film dealt with male homosexuality (i.e. My Beautiful Landrette by Hanif Kureshi) it most definitely would not elicit such a response as it has. For centuries women have been shoved into a nether place, and the recent turn of events is a continuation of that effort.

Well thought out. Short and precise, exactly the way it should be. Women are simply going to have to learn to TAKE their own since no one is willing to give it to them on a platter. I have not seen the movie but I will look for it now more than I cared to do before. However, rest assured women are not the only losers in a theocracy. In a theocracy, historically, the upper class gets to make the rules and everybody else gets the ``priviledge`` to play by them. This upper class constitutes of men and women. It is as clear as day, to me, that the real struggle is between the haves and the have nots. Until we realize that, there will always be a segment of the population that will keep the battle fires between sexes, races and ethnicities, enrage by any and all means necessary. The commonality of goals is what is needed at large. Hope you can see my point. Just to enunciate this as clearly as possible, I agree wholeheartedly with your point of view. Just felt like complementing it with my spice.