Nandita Das thanks director Deepa Mehta for casting her in ‘Fire’ without even auditioning her!

Chennai, Dec 11 (IANS) Well known actress Nandita Das on Thursday shared that she had watched her critically acclaimed film ‘Fire’, which triggered a major controversy at the time of its release for its sensitive content, after almost 25 years and thanked the film’s director Deepa Mehta for having cast her in the film without even auditioning her.

Taking to her Instagram page to share pictures of her trip to Singapore for the Singapore Film Festival, Nandita Das wrote, “Saw Fire at @sgiffest that too on the big screen, after more than 25 years. I was surprised that I remembered every moment of it – my dialogues, even those of the others, the lighting, the music, pretty much all of it! And it was extra special to sit with Deepa and watch it.”

The actress disclosed that she and her director fondly recalled memories of shooting the film while watching it.

She said, “We were whispering to each other throughout the film with memories of the shoot. It all came flooding back. And all the lovely photos, are by @dilipmehtaconstantly.”

The actress then went on to explain what the film meant to her and thanked director Deepa Mehta for making her a part of the film.

She said, “Fire began my journey, not only as an actor, but also as someone who wanted to engage with ‘othering’, with fear, prejudice and discrimination in all its forms. Thank you @deepamehtaofficial for casting me in the film, without even auditioning me! Last day Deepa and team (me included) went to a restaurant in the Botanical Garden. Lush green with majestic trees and waterfalls. Basically 3 happy days!”

For the unaware, ‘Fire’, which released in 1996, was directed by Deepa Mehta and featured actresses Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das in the lead. The romantic drama, which was among the first mainstream films to showcase a lesbian relationship, triggered a major controversy in the country at the time of its release.

–IANS

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