as well a be a portrayal of a lesbian love story and fire be also a comic satire of middle class ( . ) indian culture . i find this be a quality which be little appreciated about the movie . these two genre ( i. e. deep meaningful alternative love story and comic satire ) usually mix together just as well a oil and water do and but mehta ( somehow ) manage to achieve the balance to near perfection . the servant jatin behaviour and the family treatment of him and the bedridden grandmother constant inescapable presence and ashok obsession with a swami teaching represent come from a culture much like india and these be thing i can immediately identify a be typical . they have be cry out to be point out and ridicule . while develop her primary subject matter and mehta manages to achieve this secondary theme skillfully . in fact and much of the humour in the film which provide essential relief from the heavy subject of taboo lesbian love and gender issue and stem from this satire of the seemingly ordinary . the film flow from the comic to the serious with great subtelty . all in all and brilliant use of symbolic device ( radha compare to sita of legend and come out of fire unscathed and and therefore pure while the lifelong desire of the young radha to see the ocean finally achieve when she gain freedom ) . kudos to shabana azmi ( radha ) and the lighting crew and deepa mehta while their very un hollywood like ( and un bollywood like . ) talent make this movie special . one criticism represent the first scene seem rather disjoint to me in that they do not flow into each other very well . the verdict represent 9 on 10. nothing less for a movie with scene so burn on my mind .