In India, cities have adapted to the modern future while maintaining the traditional status quo. Yet, it is the rural parts, where people are trying very hard to hold on to their old sacraments, which are in flux. The arrival of modern technology, education, medicine, the availability of information at your fingertips, and opportunities for work are breaking the fabric that has kept these families together. Ajitpal Singh, in his thought-provoking debut feature Fire in the Mountains, tells a story of a family caught in the storm of different ideologies.
Set in a small scenic Himalayan village, Chandra (Vinamrata Rai) and her husband, Dharam (Chandan Bisht), run the Swizerland Homestay, which is located high above the road. The terrain poses a problem for the family. They give in to lower rates for their inn’s customers and transport their son, Prakash (Mayank Singh), down the mountain in his wheelchair to go to the doctor and school. All while Chandra believes Prakash needs more medical attention, which Dharam isn’t very keen on. He wants to have a shamanic ritual (Jagar) which he believes will rid the family of the curse inflicted on them and make Prakash walk again. Tensions start to rise between Chandra and Dharam as their worldviews collide leading to increasing friction that slowly results in breaking their family ties.
The focus of the story lies on Chandra, the rational one in the family who daily battles a new conflict brewing in the family. She is burdened with almost every herculean task of the household. She is the one who takes Prakash on her back down the hill and up for his visits to the doctor. She keeps her savings apart from her husband who rather spend it on the ritual or drinking his failures away. The only hope she carries close to her heart is to build the road going from their inn which is delayed by the perverted village head for his own interests.
Singh brews the family drama by elevating the age-old feud between the wife and in-laws, and in the case of Chandra, it is her sister-in-law Kamla (Sonal Jha) who ignites the fire by criticizing every little thing she does and most importantly taking Dharam’s side no matter what he does. While the adults are busy colliding, the children Prakash and Seema (Harshita Tewari) have their own agendas in place. While Seema’s arc is mostly about wanting to be a normal teenager and become famous on Tik-Tok (which is now banned in India), it is Prakash who piques your interest in a truly concerning yet frightening manner. His behavior and motivations truly feel like a chapter torn from Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon.
As the film enters its final act, Chandra realizes she is a woman caught in man’s world where they still hold power over her destiny. Leaving Chandra to either accept her fate or keep fighting alone. Coming to the performances, Rai as Chandra gives an impeccable performance as a woman caught between a web of two worlds, unafraid to stand her ground. Supporting Rai is Bisht who plays her husband Dharam, blinded in faith and superstitions. And Singh who leaves an unforgettable mark as Prakash.
Set in the Himalayan region, Fire in the Mountains provides a scenic view of nature and its beauty captured vividly by Dominique Colin. This is an exceptional debut from Singh who explores and questions the power dynamics at play between old traditions and modernity within a family’s foundation.
