A Quiet Film That Found A Loud Audience


Fire, written and directed by Deepa Mehta, tells the story of two sisters-in-law, Radha and Sita, in a joint family in Delhi. Played by Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das, the women are neglected by their husbands and find closeness with each other. The film premiered at Toronto in September 1996 and won awards abroad. In India, it was cleared uncut by the censor board and released on 13 November 1998.
For almost three weeks, it ran to full houses in 42 theatres in major cities, according to contemporary accounts. Special women's shows were held in Mumbai. Debates followed in newspapers, on campuses and online. The film was billed as the first Indian film to present a relationship between two women in this direct way. That framing drew both praise and anger. Supporters said it opened a space for talk about marriage, choice and family pressure. Critics said it offended tradition and faith.
The names Radha and Sita also drew comment. Protesters said the names, linked to revered figures, made the film more offensive. Mehta and supporters replied that the film was fiction about two modern women, not a retelling of myth. That exchange shows how a film row can shift from plot to symbols. Once names and faith enter the debate, the film itself can become secondary to what it is said to represent.

December 1998: The Attacks On Cinemas


On 2 December 1998, more than 200 Shiv Sena activists stormed a Cinemax theatre in Goregaon, Mumbai, smashing glass, burning posters and shouting slogans, according to reports from the time. Managers were forced to refund tickets. On 3 December, the Regal theatre in Delhi was similarly stormed. An American critic who witnessed the Regal incident described activists threatening staff, smashing a ticket booth and display windows, and forcing their way inside. Theatres in Surat and Pune stopped screenings the same week.
Police action followed in some places, with arrests reported in Mumbai. But many theatres chose to stop screenings rather than risk further damage. That choice is a key part of the story. A film can be legally cleared and still disappear from screens if exhibitors fear violence. The line between a ban and a withdrawal under threat is thin for audiences, even if it is clear in law.

The Counter Protest And The Court Petition


On 5 December 1998, film personalities and free speech activists, including Mehta, Dilip Kumar and Mahesh Bhatt, submitted a petition to the Supreme Court. They asked for protection for screenings and for the right to show the film. On 7 December, Mehta led a candlelit protest in Delhi with activists from 32 organisations, including the Campaign for Lesbian Rights. Placards called for freedom of expression and for the right to watch a certified film without fear.
The counter protest gave the row a second face. It was not only a clash between a film and a party. It was also a public claim by lesbian, women's and free speech groups that they existed in India and had a right to be seen. Banners reading Indian and Lesbian were reported at the Delhi vigil. That phrase answered the claim that same sex love was foreign. It said, in effect, that identity and nationality were not in conflict.
On 12 December, about 60 Shiv Sena men protested outside Dilip Kumar's house over his support for Fire, according to reports. Twenty-two were arrested, and police security was given to Kumar and others linked to the film. Cinemax reopened Fire screenings on 18 December, but posters were vandalised at a theatre in Kanpur despite police assurances. The film was later re-cleared and re-released in February 1999 in Hindi and English versions without fresh violence on the same scale, according to later summaries.

What Fire Changed, And What It Did Not


Fire did not settle India's debate about same sex love. That debate continued for years, through court cases, activism and later films. What Fire did was make the debate visible in a new way. Before Fire, same sex love in Indian cinema was often hinted at or played for comedy. After Fire, it could be the centre of a serious drama, and the reaction to that centre could itself become news.
The film also exposed a weakness in film protection. Certification is a central decision. Safety at a cinema is a local duty. When those two do not meet, a certified film can still be pulled. The Supreme Court petition and the public protests tried to close that gap by asking the state to protect screenings. The eventual re-release showed that protection, when given, could work. But the three week gap in December 1998 showed how much damage a short campaign can do to a film's run.
For Mehta, Fire was the first part of her Elements trilogy, followed by Earth and Water. Both later films also faced protests, which suggests a pattern. A film that questions family, faith or national history in India can expect organised opposition, even after certification. That pattern is now part of how Indian film history is taught. Fire is cited not only as a film, but as a case study in street censorship.

A Factual Closing Note


The established facts are clear. Fire was cleared uncut, released on 13 November 1998, ran for almost three weeks, was attacked in Mumbai and Delhi in early December, was withdrawn by many theatres, was defended by a Supreme Court petition and a Delhi vigil, and was later re-released. Those steps are documented in press and reference sources from the time.
Claims about motive need care. Protesters alleged the film attacked Hindu tradition. That allegation is reported as their stated reason, not as a proved finding about the film's intent. Supporters alleged that the attacks were political theatre. That too is reported as their view, not as a court finding. No court in this row ruled that Fire was anti-Hindu or that it distorted faith. The film's own makers said it was a story about choice within a family. Readers should keep that distinction in mind when they hear Fire described today.

Sources and reporting

  1. Wikipedia — Accessed 2026-11-04 · Verifies the 13 November 1998 release, the 2 December Goregaon attack, the 3 December Delhi attack and the December counter protests.
  2. TIFF Canadian Film Encyclopedia — Accessed 2026-11-04 · Verifies the film as the first Indian film about lesbianism, the Shiv Sena led protests and the withdrawal from distribution.
  3. EBSCO Research Starters — Accessed 2026-11-04 · Verifies the uncut censor release, the December attacks and the February 1999 re-release.