FIRE COMMENTS

FROM : RANGARAJAN RAMAKRISHNAN, AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA

Prabhu,


I don't think this movie FIRE is worth a review in LE.I saw this movie in India when i had been there in summer 98.The movie by any standard is the worst i have ever seen, next to the recent JimCarey movie!! Story , direction, music, acting, all sucks big time. There was nomatter in the movie( May be I should see it here!), nothing suggest's women'sfreedom for which the movie became a big hit. If women's Liberation is nothingother than having sex with another women .. then Mehta is wrong.The director got so confused whether to make it a FT matter movie, or art movieor good movie resulting in not showing any of these!!!!The marketing team effectively succeeded in making this movie a big hit bycreating an illusion that this movie is a matter one. Also, in pulling young girls who were behind prabhudeva/Ajit/Abbas and all khans at that time into the theatre.

I was very very surprised to see a "madisar mami" and "karuppayee" style middleaged lady in the theater and so many other girls along with so many jollu's whohad no clue of what's going on. I am sure all the jollu's felt what I thoughtwhen I was walking out of the theater - that I would have got a better 'matter'had I gone to 'Motcham'.

The major lollu I liked in the movie was - the scene goes like this- One of the Husband's own a video shop with all matter movie'savailable for any one. And his mom , a old orthodox lady who watches Ramayana, Jai Hanuman etc in TV all the time.

The guy (like Tinu Anand) whoworks for the shop every day, interrupts her TV time and forces her to see"Matter" movie along with him and he masturbates in front of her!!! The lollu inthis scene is - the director to touch the audience with his brilliance &creativity - shows the old lady doing what we call as "Kannathullapottukkarathu" as an appolegtic gesture to the god. But for my lollu brain it appeared like the old lady is praying(again 'kannathulla pottukkarathu' ) the real linga!!!!!!!!!!!You should watch this scene!! Very Funny..LE members don't even make an attempt to watch this movie and waste a fridaynite!!

Raja

FROM : RAJAGOPAL , COLUMBUS,OHIO


hey prabu

more than the review, i enjoyed ur 'good and bad aspects' of the movie.. excellent.....i think u have predicted the present situation in india

something i add:

This movie seems more of a feminist one..In india, middle class and lower class females really need something to do outside the kitchen. but sad part is that only the rich class females demand more and more freedom even though they enjoy all kinds of freedom.

these kinds of movies will kindle unneccessary thoughts and will not work out for third world countries like ours. Good that it was banned

RAJ

FROM : SATYA, NORTH CAROLINA, USA

lolluians,

I have not seen the movie yet but according to what I hear, feel thatitis a good movie for chappa pasanga. They have to change their attitude. I amgetting scared.....Iyayo... I would go to a counry side where there are no guysand girls...and not even animals (Who knows what will happen). Rgding nandita da, if you had watched "1947 Earth", then you would havebeen shocked to death. I became dumb for a few minutes, though there were a lotof jollu on the floor. She's very cute and does perform like sharon stone in "Basic Instinct". I thought Shabana Azmi as a family figure but now (Family..kefugure)....it is very different to differentiate a Kudumba figure and Koothufigure. Rgding lebianism, I don't understand on what pleasure they get. Can anybodyexplain to me clearly about the procedures and things to do??Anyway, it is very kicky to hear about this. (Haa.....aan ..Chinni jayanthstyle). lollusatya.....


From: v_rnathan@hotmail.com (Renganathan Velayutham), SINGAPORE.


Hi Prabhu!!!


Let me introduce first, I am VR Nathan,an electronics engineer from annauviversity currently working in singapore.I also saw this movie and liked it.Bcus we should appreciate the director, to take these kind of movies......Is not it?????? people in India feel very bad even talking abt sex but the population in India is going up like anything.Also these things are still happening in India........

One more thing is, you have missed some of the popular theaters(Chennai) in your list like,,,,,,Jyothi,ramakrishna,kasi etc.......

keep it up......

FROM RAVI NADELLA, COLUMBUS, OHIO


Dear Prabhu, I think you have touched your peak in writing reviews and no wonder your siteWill be the best site for reviews for Indian Movies. You need to write morereviews On movies like this and say your message so that it will be a site forInformation and Analysis. Might be you can start discussion about this movie inyour Discussion forum.Watch this movie 1947 EARTH one more movie of Nanditha Das. Keep up your goodWork.

Ravi Nadella.


From: suman100@hotmail.com (Suman Balachander)

Well Prabhu

Can see that you had a tough time doing this review....don't blame you.....but kudos to you for taking up such a subject - I aawld prefer that as mature adults we sshd be able to face maatters like this and talk about it.....not stuff it under some SOTHU PANAI...yup subject matter is controversial (BUT only to "India Indian" standards...some of us born and bred overseas are still "India Indian" in our ways and thinking) pse bear with me - becos I wld like to look at the movie in another aspect also.

That is.....to the westerners who are used to the lesbian and gay stuff and don't raise any eyebrows this story is nothing altho that aspect of sisters-in-law making it together under those circumstances wld be a bit stretched.....but the subject of lesbianism or gayism will not be controversial - similarly Indians born and bred overseas in such cultures will also not raise any eyebrows on thsi subject......it wld have become a matter of being acquainted with the issues.....in Singapore the chinese are becoming liek westerners - subject of gayism and lesbianism is becoming a nothing-matter - a number of Hong Kong movies are already dealing with such subjects and getting audience support and good reviews (so the chinese wrold here is changing to western standards).

But Indians in India and the overseas born Indians (like me) who are from a "reserved" (to western eyes) culture will of course be disturbed by the subject of lesbians/gay and also more disturbed by the entire story line too.....so it is amazing that such a movie has come out of India.....and not out of some Indian producer who is born and bred in a western culture and from say USA, Europe or Australia (eg Shymalan Night who did 6th Sense with Bruce Wilis - such a producer/director may have done such a movie and that is a different matter then)......so it is a "miracle" that someone in Indian can do this......

For me I am so amazed.....and if I had a daughter I wld not want her to end with such a life (wld be a case of not knowing where to put my face/shame).....anyway I wld watch the movie to know what it is all about....one thing I have going for me is I try to be open about things and take them in my stride....even if it is going to be discomforting to watch the movie I will want to do it....it is not a bigot thing - just curiousity (it may have killed a cat but hopefully it will be one that won't kill me!!!)...frankly I am getting through this with some confusion of sorts too......on the one hand trying to be "mature" and on the other hand stuck with my Indianess.

At the end of the day it all depends on which eyes are watching......

Cheers

Suman

FROM BHAT SRINIVAS, COLUMBUS, OHIO, bhatsrinivas@hotmail.com


Good job Prabu.One thing a review should keep in mind is control.As far as i could see the author is trying to present a situation where womencould turn to Lesbians if men are not doing their duty right.If you want to watch Mahabharat or Ramayan go ahead watch it but do your duty aswell.

Well if one doesn't want the "material" things they should not marry oratleast Marry somene with the same school of thought.The same applies to the hong kong fellow. Surely be what you want to be but notmess up someone else's life.

In short do what you want to do but at the same time do your duty right and donot mess up with someone else lifeand if there is a conflict just don't pick up the role that conflicts what youwant to be. For Haven's sake understand the Women and their needs (they are nomore ignorant as they once were in India) else the society is in trouble. Iguess this is what the Director wants to convey.Hope I conveyed my opinion right.Bhat



FROM : MUSTASAN ALI KHAN, COLUMBUS, OHIO, USA

Hi All,

It has been a long time i wrote to you guys. I think i needto say some thing about the review. I never watched the movie FIRE but after reading the Review I felt really bad. I agree with the comment that Womens freedom is some thing like giving equal opp.and job employment, Good Education and not showing as LESBIANS.

This is not fare for our culture and not good for anything,I was really amazed the way Prabhu Presented the review. I thought that he is a good entertainer but never thought that he can give a us some thing to really think. That was a good work and Review more on these kind of movies.

As the web site is read by thousandsit will be a right place to put our thoughts and we can make the difference Thanks Prabhu for the info. and Happy Superbowl Week end

Thanks,

Mustasan.

FROM : GOKULRAM, ATLANTA, GA, USA, gokulram@yahoo.com


Prabhu,

I appreciate about u'r comments on good and bad regarding this movie...But i agree with Rangarajan that it's not worth a review in lolluexpress...I have seen this movie when i was in India...These people like Metha their consideration is just to create Controversy and earn...It's a well known fact that any movie which creates a controversy is a big hit...Here in US even if a guy moves close with another guy they may think them to be a gay ...Since Gay clubs and lesbian clubs are not uncommon...But in India it's different....We hav a culture...These people like Metha are making big hit movies with a low budget by making a contorversial story....This time they hav created a relationship between two sister-in-laws next time they may go for relationship between sisters ,brothers etc...So i feel these films can be banned which speaks about pseudo women librelisation....

FROM : SATYA, NC, USA, satyahere@hotmail.com

Gokul

Lolluians, Yov!!, Magane.....what is happening guys!!. I think we are behaving verydecently today which is a insult to our community. Yaen! Yaen! Yaen!!!! Alreadywe are very tired after working for 5 long days. Magane, I think we have someswami vivekanandas and Gandhijis here.

Guys!, If you want to write thathuvamsand pazhamozhis then I think sysindia and rediff.com are good sites. We wantONLY GALEEJ. Magane, I got fed up to see mails like being a "nalla" paiyan and"about women liberalisation" and nasty stuff. Be galeej man or in other words,write what is there in your hearts. Everybody in this group likes "scene" movies then why the F..K do you why do you behave abnormally.

I think if you don'twrite galleej then we will have to call our Rajesh to spank those vivekanandas.Yennanga..ya ithu. Our thalaivar spoke to me and seems like you have spoiled hisfriday mood. Ok guys!! We don't want any good decent languages here. Ot.. (Nallavaruthu vaiyele!!) Thalaiva, sorry about what happened today. Please don't take those mails seriously, chinna pasanga.No offense meant.

lollusatya.....

From: Rjravis@aol.com

Whatever it is in the movie my opinion is Women, particularly Indian women are becoming more Independent and today they want equal rights as men, but Men don't take care of Womens need as much as women take care of men in a married relationship, particularly in India Women has become more liberated in their Thoughts and Actions and Men should understand every need of a woman who he has taken as life partner. Commitment in a relationship is not only to take care of financially, it is also much more than that. Therefore what deepa Mehta has projected in the movie is more appropriate to todays Indian Women, but the subject of lesbianism is a little too much for the average Indian to digest, but from what I've read from more literature I can tell you that whatever been depicted on the picture though might be for some commercial value addition it is an irrefutable fact that these relationship do exist among women today and had existed ever since, This is not my opinion but even Vatsyayana had wrote thousands of years back in his doctrine about Sex,

i.e Kamasutra,

RJR