easily one of the best indian film ever . grant and that not say much ( i make this conclusion after a whopping 15 minute of watch ) . but i can truly say that fire be also one of the really beautiful and brilliant film i have see . beautiful because of it imagery . the best example i can give be the parallelism between the 2 female lead ( radha and sita ) and the character of the same name in hindu mythology . sita and for example and be the wife of the revered lord ram . a legend go and ram subjugate his wife by make her walk through a fire to prove her ` purity . sita and in response and cry and leave him and reunite with her mother ( the earth ) . this story have all sort of crazy link to the story of the 2 indian woman ( nandita da and shabana azmi ) . the word ` fire all of a sudden have many meaning marriage and tradition and religion and motherhood and and probably a few others i do not catch . brilliant because of it social overtone . many who be offend by the premise for this movie should in fact be first to see fire ( e. g. my mom and who actually love it ) . why . because although fire be an attack on tradition and it be also an attack on tradition . in other word and that be it strength and not it weakness . traditional conservative social more ( whether indian or canadian or american or whatever ) be useless if they enslave you . gender role and self denial can both do this . these be the thing i take with me after see fire . hat off to deepa mehta .