Deepa Mehta shocked Bollywood with her movie ‘Fire,’ sparking one of the biggest protests in its history, in the year 1996. The film, starring Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das, faced intense backlash including street protests, poster burnings, and threats. Despite the uproar, ‘Fire’ was recognized as revolutionary and ahead of its time, as it dealt with the then-taboo subject of homosexual relationships by portraying the intimate and emotional lives of two women in love.
In a recent conversation with Zoom, Shabana Azmi shared her experience with the film and how her family reacted to its bold storyline. Initially, Shabana had reservations about taking on the project, particularly because she worked closely with conservative communities in the slums and worried the film’s controversial theme might alienate them. She was cautious, fearing that her involvement in such a film might undermine her work with these communities. She shared, “I had some apprehensions because I was working in the slums and the people tend to be very conservative. So, I felt if I did this film, it would make it more difficult for the women to follow me because people would say ki yeh kya hai and all that.”
However, after discussing it with her family, her perspective shifted. Her husband, Javed Akhtar, questioned whether she could stand by the film and defend it amidst the inevitable backlash. When she confidently answered yes, she felt more at ease. She also sought her step-daughter Zoya Akhtar’s opinion, further helping her come to terms with the decision.
The actress recounted, “Imagine how small she was at that time, I told her… I don’t know if I should do it. She was like, ‘Do you like the script?’ I said ‘Yes.’ So, she said, ‘What other consideration can there be?’ I said, ‘Well you know, it’s same sex film.’ She said ‘So?’ And I looked at her and I thought Oh my god, the younger generation thinks completely differently.”
Shabana also revealed an interesting change in the original script of ‘Fire.’ Initially, her character, Radha, was supposed to die in the fire. However, it was Farhan Akhtar, who was even younger than Zoya at the time, who advised her against it. He said, “No, you can’t succumb to the fire, because that would lose the very purpose of what you are saying. So she cannot die.” Shabana conveyed this suggestion to Deepa Mehta, who agreed to revise the climax.
Reflecting on this, Shabana said, “Both my children had a contribution in it (Fire) while neither of them had started working in films at that time.”
Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Deepa Mehta had to face censor board’s flak for two of her movies viz Fire and Water. The content didn’t impress the various religious group of the society due to its controversial subject which went against the culture of India (as per this group). The hue and cry around the movie was such that the censor board had to ban it in the country.
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