Mother India & Fire

Reading about Mayo's Mother India compared to the film, Mother India, there are obvious and great differences. People were outraged with Mayo's book. She tried to expose women's struggles in India, mainly having to do with sex. Topics such as rape, prostitution, and premature maternity were addressed. The people expressed that it was disrespectful and did not accurately portray life in India. The film, however, showed how powerful women can be. It tries to "take back" the image of Indian women. Radha, the main character, marries a man based off of love, which is rare for India but a great sight to see. She is happy with life and continues to be a strong-willed woman when her husband leaves. She takes care of her children and works hard to keep them fed. This woman's moral values are high, which counteracts the ideas in the Mother India book. The film was one of the most popular films in India, so obviously the people liked this portrayal of their area much better than the book.

It was a little surprising to me how modern Fire is, and how much of an outrage it still was to the people in India. Yes, there were homosexuality issues in the United States at the time of this film, but I'm sure there would not be a riot if a film was made about it. The women in Fire seemed to be very dissatisfied in their marriages. Their husbands did not feel "love" towards them like they felt towards each other. These roles portrayed the typical arranged marriage, where the man has most of the say in the relationship.  Women's rights were less of a topic at this time, but the controversy revolved around the lesbianism in the film. Although there was riots after the film and people were outraged, it had people talking. I'm not really sure of what India's views on homosexuality are now, but it takes one film like this to create a spark, and eventually a Fire.