Fire

Synopsis:

In a barren, arranged marriage to an amateur swami who seeks enlightenment through celibacy, Radha’s life takes an irresistible turn when her beautiful young sister-in-law seeks to free herself from the confines of her own loveless marriage.

Quick Thoughts:

It took me some digging, but was finally able to find a physical copy for “Fire”. Now that I’ve seen it – it’s certainly worth being included on this list of Queer Bollywood films! When it was released in 1996, it was one of the first mainstream movies to show homosexuality on screen – and the first to depict a lesbian romance. It set India on fire – literally. Protesters started attacking theaters where “Fire” was being screened and created a controversy where it nearly was pulled from theaters. However, despite the claims, it was never actually banned in India. It’s a shame that this queer Bollywood film is so difficult to find, it should be on everyone’s watch list.