Fire Starring: Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Javed Jaffery Director: Deepa Mehta

You might never be alone, but you might be leading one hell of a lonely existence. So what do you do?

Fire is a story of two lonely Indian women, who turn to each other for love and companionship.

The two women, each a lonely shell, gravitate towards one another, searching for the warmth and affection missing in thier relationships with their husbands. The physical intimacy between the two is a fallout of the mental bonding.

Deepa Mehta never portrays lesbianism as a problem, nor is this aspect of life discussed in the film. Radha and Nita accept their new-found sexualiÅty without any discussion or conflict. The scenes depicting them together are handled sensually, with no attempt to tiltillate or be controversial.

The film is a modern day depiction of women going through trial by fire, and yet finding no takers for theirs innocence. All that Radha gets from her husband is censure when he discovers her relationship with Nita. He makes no effort to take any of the blame. This aspect is highlighted indirectly by the director when she shows a street performance of the Ramayan and the scene chosen is Sita's trial by fire after which, incidentally, Ram still does not accept her. The swami watching the scene with Ashok comments, "Poor Ram". The scene serves well to show the status of men and women in Indian society.

Nandita Das puts in a stunning debut performance. Her young and impulsive personae has a perfect fo in Shabana's mature portrayal of a simmering dormant passion. AR Rahman's music is a perfect blend, depciting the turbulence behind the staid lives of this joint family.

Fire definitely belongs to the echelons of world cinema — it can be the story of any woman, any relationship, in any part of the world.