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	Although Mehta has no formal training in filmmaking, she began her cinematic career producing documentaries and writing scripts for children's films. In 1991, Mehta produced and directed her first feature film Sam & Me, a story about an unlikely friendship between two outcasts who form a deep bond despite the fact that neither is welcome in the other's world. It won the critic's Honorable Mention at the Cannes that year. In 1992, she guest-directed a one-hour episode of George Lucas's Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. The following year, Mehta directed her second feature film, Camilla, staring the late Jessica Tandy and Bridget Fonda. It was released worldwide in 1995. Also, Mehta directed the final episode of Lucas's Young Indiana Jones Chronicles in 1994. Mehta's other works include a trilogy composed of Fire, which is about the politics of sexuality; Earth, which is about the politics of nationalism; and Water, which is about the politics of religion. Mehta wrote, directed, and produced her third feature film Fire. It opened the Perspective Canada Programs at the 1996 Toronto International Film Festival, where it tied for the Air Canada Peoples Choice Award. Earth, based on Bapsi Sidhwa's novel Cracking India, was shot in New Delhi in January 1998. This film also won many awards including the Prix Premiere de Public at the Festival du film asiatique de Deauville, France in March 1999 and the Critic's Awards at the Schermi d'Amore International Film Festival. The last in the trilogy, Water, was shot in 2000 and recently released. The film sparked controversy in Varanasi, where the shooting was supposed to take place, but due to protests and vandalism from the local political/religious parties, shooting was moved to West Bengal. Fire Credits: Shabana Azmi (Radha) Nandita Das (Sita), Jaaved Jaaffery (Jatin) Kulbhushan Kharbanda (Ashok) Kushal Rekhi (Biji) Ranjit Chowdhry (Mundu) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mehta admits her films are influenced by her life and her experiences: "When I wanted a divorce it took me two years to do it, even though I considered myself a liberal woman. It was during those two years I wrote Fire" (Ramchandani). The film is a powerful critique of the rigid norms of a patriarchal, post-colonial society that keeps both sexes down. All of the characters are trapped in their own lives, but two of them find a way to escape by discovering their inner desires (Morris). The film opens with the image of a family sitting in a vast field of flowers with the mother telling a tale of a group of people who live in the mountains. "They had never seen the sea," she says, "though they wanted to see it. They were sad because of this. 'Don't be sad,' and old woman says, 'what you canít see, you can seeóyou just have to see without looking' " (Morris). This becomes the theme for Mehta's filmódiscovering one's true nature and choosing to live authentically, no matter what the cost. In the film, the wives of two brothers, who are subjected to the traditional Indian female role of silently cooking, cleaning, and producing children to occupy their time, find in each other what their husbands refuse to give. The women enter into a lesbian relationship. The film sparked much controversy and violence in the Indian community, eventually being banned. When it was released, right-wing extremists stormed theatres, ripped down posters, threw Molotov cocktails at the screen, and staged violent skirmishes in the streets of New Delhi and Bombay (Kirkland 8/7/99). In reaction, Mehta said, "The bisexual relation became a symbol of how far one can go to break that traditional mold. Are they willing to pay the price of the passion? By making it bisexual, I raised the stakes. Initially, especially in India, the gender issue was really the one that got everybody in flames, dare I say. But it has done what I desire and hoped that Fire might do, which was start a dialogue. They have gotten over the gender thing and now it's perceived as a film that has questioned the status quo and the status of women" (Kirkland 11/24/97). Earth Credits: Maia Sethna (Lenny Sethna) Nandita Das (Shanta, the Ayah) Kitu Gidwani (Bunty Sethna) Arif Zakaria (Rustom Sethna) Eric Peterson (Mr. Rogers) Kulbhushan Kharbanda (Iman Din) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While the larger theme of Earth is the violent political upheaval of 1947 during the partition of India and Pakistan, the heart of the film is a love story involving three people: Shanta, a beautiful, young Hindi governess to an eight-year-old Parsee girl, and Shanta's two suitors, Hasan and Ice Candy Man, both Muslim (Craughwell F10). The film, which depicts the mistrust, racism, religious intolerance, and violence that erupted then and continues today among Sikhs, Muslims, and Hindus, is seen through the eyes of the eight-year-old Parsee, who is part of an independent sect that is neutral among Sikhs, Muslims, and Hindus. While exploring the division surrounding partition, Mehta also investigated the effects of colonialism: "Even though my film is very particular, in the sense that itís set in 1947 and it's about the division of India into India and Pakistan, itís also really an exploration of what colonialism does to countries. So wherever the British, or it could be anybody but for us it was the British, whenever they flew [sic] the country, they divided it. And they leave us holding the mess" (Craughwell F10). Mehta used this film as an opportunity to say something about the period because she felt no one really knew about it outside India and Pakistan, but she wanted it told through a neutral perspective (Kirkland 9/11/98). The film did not provoke the violent reaction that Fire did; a board of government censors approved it with a single cut, the elimination of profanity (Kirkland 8/7/99). Water Credits: Shabana Azmi (Shakuntala) Nandita Das (Janaki) Akshay Kumar (Narayan) Manorama (Madhumati) Vinay Pathak (Rabindra) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The third film in the trilogy is about Indian widows in the 1930's. In the past and present, women whose husbands died were forced to enter "widow houses." Labeled as worthless because their measure of worth, their husbands, was gone, they were often forced to turn to prostitution in order to survive. Mehta chose the holy city of Varanasi as the location of her film because widow houses still existed there. However, even before production on the film began, controversy was ignited. Two thousand protestors stormed the ghats, destroying the main film set, burning and throwing it into the holy river. Protestors burnt effigies of Mehta, and she received threats to her life. Three main political/religious parties led the angry mob: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHU), and the Kashi Sanskrit Raksha Sangharsh Samiti (KSRSS). Also, a party, Raksha Sangharsh Samiti (RSS) formed overnight specifically targeting Mehta. The KSRSS claimed themselves as the guardians of the culture of Varanasi and threatened her with violence. The RSS claimed that the world did not need to hear the problems of the widows in India and argued that Mehta has been poisoned by western influences and was simply looking for a story to sell (Yuen-Carrucan). Following the protests, the Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee intervened and allowed the filming to continue. The filming was moved to West Bengal. In reaction, Mehta said, "What is so scary is that people are reinterpreting what the rules are regarding culture. If I could just say one thing to those who oppose my work, it would be: 'Lighten up guys' " (Harding 4/21/00) . Deepa Mehta appeals to the Supreme Court NEW DELHI, Dec 7 (AFP) - An acclaimed feminist film director Monday appealed to India's Supreme Court to ensure that screenings of her latest work, a lesbian love story, are no longer disrupted by radical Hindus. Canada-based Deepa Mehta and leading Indian film personalities including actor Dilip Kumar and director Mahesh Bhatt, filed a 17-page petition seeking protection for the film "Fire." The court was urged "to take all steps as are necessary to provide a sense of security, apart from mere protection so that the film can be exhibited." Hindu fundamentalists have attacked theatres showing the film in New Delhi, Bombay and other cities. Based on the love of two sisters-in-law, both unhappily married, it stars top actress Shabana Azmi, who is also a parliamentarian. The protests have led the film to be sent back to India's censor board for a review. "Fire", however, is currently being shown in movie halls. About 400 women, including director Mehta and lesbian activists, meanwhile picketed a movie hall in New Delhi's downtown Connaught Place where protests had led the management to stop screening "Fire." The demonstrators denounced last week's violence and urged the owners to resume shows. A protestor screamed: "Lesbianism is prevalent everywhere. Why pretend it does not happen here." Mehta argued in her court petition that her "fundamental right" as a film maker had been "strangulated by the violence against the movie" and sought an investigation "into the acts of violence committed." The protest against "Fire" was ignited by the Hindu militant Shiv Sena party, which rules India's film capital Bombay. Shiv Sena activists say the theme is "un-Indian" and could "corrupt" Indian women. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Film director accuses Indian Govt Film Director Accuses India Gov't .c The Associated Press By RAMOLA TALWAR BADAM BOMBAY, India (AP) -- The director of a film that features a lesbian kiss and has sparked protests in India criticized demonstrators on Friday and accused local government officials of complicity in the uproar. Right-wing activists in Bombay, New Delhi, and other cities have stormed into theaters this week to try to stop showings of ``Fire,'' saying its sexual content was an affront to Hindu values. ``We have condemned the methods used by the miscreants and the overt support they received from the state government. These attacks must be stopped,'' director Mahesh Bhatt said. A group of prominent theater and movie figures, including Bhatt, signed a petition Friday and sent it to the Supreme Court chief justice protesting the campaign against ``Fire.'' The Indian Censor Board is known for a heavy hand, but allowed ``Fire'' to be shown with no cuts. In addition to the women kissing, the film has a brief nude scene. The movie had run to packed houses for three weeks in Indian cities, causing little more than raised eyebrows and a smattering of protests. But the protests by the rightist Shiv Sena party have caused all shows of the movie to be suspended in Bombay. The film is about two women who have a lesbian relationship because of their unhappy marriages to two brothers. Homosexuality and the unhappiness of women in traditional families are rarely discussed in India. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Activists slam attacks on lesbian film, Hindus vow to widen protest BOMBAY, Dec 3 (AFP) - Attacks by right-wing Hindus on cinema theaters screening an Indian film portraying a lesbian romance sparked controversy on Thursday with MPs and leading social activists condemning the "gay-bashing." Some 200 Hindu nationalists on Wednesday vandalised two cinema halls in Bombay, the hub of India's film industry and its gay capital, for showing "Fire" in which top Indian actress Shabana Azmi leaves her celibate husband for her sister-in-law, who is also unhappily married. The controversy rocked parliament in New Delhi Thursday with opposition members slamming the Hindu nationalists for "intolerance" and "hoodlum rule" in Bombay. Azmi, who was present in the house, watched the fiery debate but did not comment or interject. The attacks triggered a strong reaction among social activists in the country. Leading the chorus was India's best-known gay activist Ashok Row Kavi who said the protests were the latest form of "gay bashing in homophobic India." "It is tragic that when Oscar Wilde, who represents the criminalisation of homosexuality, is being reinstated in his country with his statue unveiled in central London, such a thing is happening here," he told AFP from Bombay. Kavi, a former Hindu monk, argued the attackers were ignorant of their own religion. "Our criminal laws on homosexuality were bequeathed to us by the British, who had a Christian view of things, and based it on the King James Bible. Saint Augustine says lust is suspect because it obstructs in the exercise of free will. "Hinduism on the other hand defines sex as one of the three ways of attaining salvation. Hinduism does not run away from sexuality and does not pass judgement on people who have different preferences." However, Meena Kulkarni, a member of a Hindu party in power in Maharashtra, of which Bombay is the capital, on Thursday said she would extend the protests to other parts of the sprawling state and the rest of the country. Kulkarni told AFP that Shabana Azmi, who has worked with international stars such as Shirley Maclaine, should be stripped of her membership of the federal parliament. "She should be thrown out. She has insulted Indian women. They have shown two women having a physical relationship. "Even if such things go on on the sly, by showing them on the screen we are actually informing others about such acts of perversion. It will spoil our women." Azmi said she was "shocked that a small group of people can take the law into their hands and disrupt a film that has been duly passed by the censor board and won 14 international awards, including two for best acting by me. "The film is receiving an overwhelming response all over the world," she said, adding that noted feminist Gloria Steinem had called it a "landmark film." Shobha De, a leading Bombay socialite-turned-writer dubbed "India's Jackie Collins," slammed the attacks, saying they did not reflect the public mood in her city. "This is a miniscule section representing a certain view. The whole city does not think like that." De, one of the first people to see the film, however, said the plot -- two women living under one roof and drawn to each other due to their husbands' neglect -- was ridiculous. "Its suggests if a woman is unhappy or lacking in male company, she leaps into the bed of the first available women as a preference. That kind of thing happens in remand homes and prisons but rarely in a normal-life situation." Kavi backed her on that count. "I am against the depiction. It disempowers female bonding. Women in India traditionally hug and show other physical forms of intimacy without anything going on between them. Those relationships may now become suspect." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Activists storm Bombay cinemas BOMBAY, India (AP) -- Dozens of right-wing activists stormed two theaters in Bombay today, prompting a movie distributor to suspend the showing of an internationally acclaimed film about a lesbian relationship. The protesters claim the movie ``Fire,'' the first film from India to focus on lesbianism, distorts their culture. At least 100 activists with the right-wing Shiv Sena Party surrounded the theater managers and demanded the movie not be shown. The movie's distributor, Shringar Films, suspended showing of the movie in Bombay, citing concern for audience safety. Shiv Sena activists have used violence to get their way on other issues. ``We will wait and watch. Ultimately, audience safety is more important,'' said Balkrishna Shroff, an owner of Shringar Films. ``Fire'' has been packing theaters in the three weeks it has been running in Bombay. Angry ticket-holders lined up for a refund. ``Why can't those who cannot stomach sensitive subjects not come for the films instead of stopping us from seeing good cinema,'' said Naina Fernandes, a college student. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lesbian film sets India on Fire BBC Online, Nov. 13, 1998 By South Asia Correspondent Daniel Lak When the film Fire opens in Indian cinemas it will undoubtedly cause outrage, enlightenment and confusion. Fire has already been shown in many other countries, but the Indian censor board wanted to give it a thorough examination. Daniel Lak asks if India is ready for FireIt passed, and this powerful story of two sisters-in-law who fall in love, is being shown uncut in English and India's national language, Hindi. When the film was shown last year at two Indian film festivals, there were strong reactions, including negative ones from the influential social conservatives in India. But one group of people in the country is awaiting this film eagerly - the Indian lesbian community, which for years has maintained a silent, almost secret existence. Breaking new ground The film's protagonists are sisters-in-law, trapped in emotionally bleak marriages, who turn to each other for comfort, love and eventually, sex. Deepa Mehta: "It has caused outrage, love and confusion"Despite its vast output and long history, Indian cinema has rarely ventured into such a realm. Fire is not meant to be about gay life, but after world-wide release, as it makes its debut in India, it is sure to be provocative and challenging. Director Deepa Mehta aims to be provocative and challenging: "Some people are outraged by it, some people love it and some people are confused by it. I think it's not going to be any different in India - at least I hope not." Many of India's gay women are glad that Fire is showing in their country. The couple I spoke to, on condition they remain anonymous, have been together for more than six years. They make no secret of their relationship, but neither do they openly proclaim their sexuality. A lesbian character in the film is allowed to burn by her shamed husbandIndia, they say, has yet to come to terms with the very existence of female homosexuality. Finding a stable partner can be tough when society doesn't even acknowledge that women can be attracted to women. One said: "We live in the same neighbourhood - so I've known her over the years. We belong to the same group of friends. She had been away in Africa and I heard about her relationship there. Much later when I went up to her we became friends - and one day it just happened - it just took over." Acceptance not easy to find Now, they live together and have a wide circle of friends, some gay, most not. And they are beginning to find the confidence that is necessary to assert themselves and their identity. Some changes are tough though. "With our families we could not interact with each other as a normal couple. That did bother us. It was not a proper kind of acceptance - it was more like 'yes, you're doing it - but we don't recognise it - yet we're not saying anything bad about it,'" one said. The public in India is getting its first challenge from the painted billboards and hoardings up in major cities to advertise the film Fire. Their vivid depictions of scenes from the movie are in keeping with the Indian cinema tradition of promising more in the advertising than is delivered in the film - more sex, violence or titillation. The fact that Fire passed the tough Indian censorship process without a single cut could be seen as recognition that this is a serious film that has chosen its scenes and story line carefully. Or it could be taken as an indication that society remains ignorant or unaware of the sexual options before women. Breaking through ignorance Telephone counselling is now available in major cities, like Delhi. Until a helpline was set up, there was literally nobody for women to talk to. Cath Slugget, of the Sangini support group, says those who call are often confused and unaware. So Indian cinema-goers will be seeing a film that challenges taboos, and has some vivid portrayals of passion and violence. But Fire also makes it clear that overturning tradition can be dangerous. whatever comfort gay women might take from a sympathetic story line Fire is not a film that is likely to leave anyone here indifferent.