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Fire poster
1996
Fire
1996104 minEnglish / HindiDramaLGBTQ+

Fire

The first instalment of Deepa Mehta's Elements Trilogy — a quiet, incendiary drama about two sisters-in-law in a joint Delhi household who find solace, and then love, in each other. A landmark of queer South Asian cinema that ignited both acclaim and protest upon its Indian release.

Director
Deepa Mehta
Writer
Deepa Mehta
Cast
Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Jaaved Jaaferi, Ranjit Chowdhry, Kushal Rekhi
Producers
Bobby Bedi & Deepa Mehta
Executive producers
David Hamilton & Suresh Bhalla
Cinematography
Giles Nuttgens
Editing
Barry Farrell
Music
A. R. Rahman

Trailer

Fire — trailer Play trailer

Awards & festival selections

    • 1996 — World premiere — opening film, Perspective Canada
    • 1996 — People's Choice Award — runner-up
  • Vancouver International Film Festival
    • 1996 — Most Popular Canadian Film
    • 1996 — Silver Hugo — Best Actress, Shabana Azmi
  • Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival
    • 1996 — Special Prize of the Jury
  • Barcelona International Women's Film Festival
    • 1997 — Audience Award — Fiction Feature
  • Outfest, Los Angeles
    • 1997 — Audience Award — Outstanding Narrative Feature
  • Frameline, San Francisco
    • 1997 — Official Selection
    • 1997 — Best Film — Schermi d'Amore
  • Singapore International Film Festival
    • 2025 — 2K restoration — Deepa Mehta In Focus