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Fire (1996)

 -  Drama | Romance  -  22 August 1997 (USA)
7.1
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Ratings: 7.1/10 from 3,603 users   Metascore: 64/100
Reviews: 54 user | 35 critic | 14 from Metacritic.com

Ashok runs a family business that sells takeout food that also has a video rental store at the side. Ashok's extended family includes his wife Radha, his brother Jatin, their ailing mother ... See full summary »

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Title: Fire (1996)

Fire (1996) on IMDb 7.1/10

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7 wins & 1 nomination. See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Karishma Jhalani ...
Ramanjeet Kaur ...
Young Radha's mother
Dilip Mehta ...
Young Radha's father
Javed Jaffrey ...
Jatin (as Jaaved Jaaferi)
...
Vinay Pathak ...
Guide at Taj Mahal
Kushal Rekhi ...
Biji
...
Ranjit Chowdhry ...
Mundu
...
Ashok
Alice Poon ...
Julie
Ram Gopal Bajaj ...
Swamiji
Ravinder Happy ...
Oily man in video shop
Devyani Saltzman ...
Girl in video shop (as Devyani Mehta Saltzman)
Sunil Chhabra ...
Milkman on bicycle
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Storyline

Ashok runs a family business that sells takeout food that also has a video rental store at the side. Ashok's extended family includes his wife Radha, his brother Jatin, their ailing mother Biji and their manservant Mundu, all living under the same roof. Jatin, at the insistence of Ashok and their mother, Biji, agrees to marry the beautiful Sita in an arranged marriage, although he is actually in love with Julie, a Chinese-Indian. At first glance, you see a happy middle-class family going through the normal paces of everyday life. However, as the layers are slowly peeled back, we find a simmering cauldron of discontent within the family, with almost every family member living a lie. Both marriages in the family turn out to be emotionally empty, without love or passion. While Ashok is an ascetic who has taken a vow of celibacy, Jatin is a handsome ladies' man who is still openly seeing Julie even after his marriage to Sita. Ashok has pledged his total devotion to a religious holy man, a... Written by Hariharan

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Genres:

Drama | Romance

Certificate:

Unrated | See all certifications »
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Details

Country:

|

Language:

|

Release Date:

22 August 1997 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Fire - Wenn die Liebe Feuer fängt  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$14,384 (USA) (22 August 1997)

Gross:

$402,749 (USA) (10 October 1997)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

On its opening day in India, some movie theaters were attacked by Hindu fundamentalists, and the movie was eventually banned for religious insensitivity. The film was banned in Pakistan for the lesbian relationship that the movie plays around. See more »

Quotes

Young Radha's mother: [in the very beginning of the movie] What you can't see you can see. You just have to see without looking.
See more »

Connections

References Basic Instinct (1992) See more »

Soundtracks

"Bombay Theme"
(1995)
Composed by A.R. Rahman
From the Bumbai soundtrack
Available on CD & cassette from PolyGram India Ltd.
Courtesy of Mani Ratnam
See more »

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User Reviews

 
Wonderfully tender treatment of sensitive subject matter
21 December 1998 | by (seattle) – See all my reviews

This film powerfully demonstrates the struggle of two women in love in a culture so deeply entrenched in ritual and tradition. All this against a backdrop of an India which itself is struggling for freedom from these same values. This film is both political and personal and never too preachy or idealistic on either front. It is easy to see why "Fire" has caused riots in India, but tragic nonetheless. A true film such as this one deserves to be seen by all people of the world, not just privileged westerners.


21 of 22 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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