Fire trio reunites: Shabana Azmi recalls how Farhan Akhtar's input changed the ending

India Today

3 hours ago

Veteran actor Shabana Azmi recently reunited with director Deepa Mehta and co-star Nandita Das, celebrating 25 years of their landmark film Fire. Along with a photo where the trio is seen in matching black outfits, Azmi reflected on the film's legacy, surprising creative decisions, and Farhan Akhtar's small contribution to the film."The #Fire trio! 25 years later the film continues to be a point of reference all over the world," Azmi captioned the post, emphasising the impact of the 1996 film, which was part of Mehta's Elements Trilogy.advertisementAzmi revealed that 'Fire' originally had a different ending, which was eventually changed on the advice of a young Farhan Akhtar. 'Few know that it had a different ending. It was young @faroutakhtar who advised that the ending should be changed to what is finally kept,' she wrote.
Another interesting detail involved the film's language. Azmi shared that 'Fire' was initially intended to be shot in Hindi. However, the dialogues didn't resonate authentically in translation. 'So literally two days before the shoot, Deepa Mehta decided to keep the original English, greatly approved by producer Bobby Bedi. Thank god the actors were bilingual and could rise to the challenge,' she added.advertisement'Fire', which told the story of two women navigating desire and freedom within the confines of a patriarchal household, stirred controversy upon release but has since achieved cult status. Lauded for its bold narrative and emotional depth, it remains a seminal work in Indian independent cinema and LGBTQ+ representation.Speaking at a masterclass session during the Mumbai Film Festival 2024, where Azmi was in conversation with actor Vidya Balan, she had discussed the ending and how Farhan Akhtar's advice changed the film's climax."What's interesting is that Farhan is younger than Zoya and I had discussed this film with him back then. He was very young, and I told him to read the script. And he loved it. He said, 'I don't like the end because this woman (Radha) dies. It will ruin the whole purpose of the film, and people might think, you did something wrong'. He said, 'She must survive'," Azmi said, adding that she shared the feedback with Mehta.Directed by Deepa Mehta, 'Fire' starred Nandita Das, Shabana Azmi, Jaaved Jaaferi, Vinay Pathak and Kulbhushan Kharbanda.. You May Also Like