Nandita Das expressed her gratitude to director Deepa Mehta.
Chennai: Veteran actress Nandita Das revealed on Thursday that she watched her critically acclaimed film ‘Fire’ after almost 25 years, a film that had sparked considerable controversy upon its release due to its sensitive content. She also thanked the film’s director, Deepa Mehta, for casting her without an audition.
Sharing pictures from her trip to Singapore for the Singapore Film Festival, Nandita Das wrote on her Instagram page, “Watched ‘Fire’ at @sgiffest after more than 25 years, that too on the big screen. I was surprised that I remembered every single moment of it – my dialogues, others’ too, the lighting, the music, almost everything! And watching it with Deepa made it even more special.”
The actress shared that she and her director reminisced about the film’s shooting while watching it.
She said, “Throughout the film, we were whispering to each other about memories of the shoot. Everything came flooding back. And all the lovely pictures are by @dilipmehtaconstantly.”
The actress then spoke about what the film means to her and thanked director Deepa Mehta for making her a part of it.
She said, “‘Fire’ started my journey, not just as an actor, but as a person who wanted to connect with ‘othering’, fear, discrimination and all its forms. Thank you @deepamehtaofficial for casting me without an audition! The other day Deepa and the team (including me) went to a restaurant in the Botanical Gardens. There were lush green trees and waterfalls. All in all, 3 happy days!”
For those unaware, ‘Fire’ was released in 1996, directed by Deepa Mehta, and starred Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das in the lead roles. The romantic drama, which was one of the first mainstream films to depict a lesbian relationship, had generated significant controversy in the country upon its release.
