Review by Manish Gajjar, Bollywood Specialist
A period drama set in the pre-Mahabharat era, Agni Varsha (meaning The Holy Fire) depicts the story of a village that has to face the rigours of the drought season with every passing year.
| 听 |  | Actress Raveena Tandon
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Ten years have passed and so the village has now decided that a yagna (Holy Fire ceremony) should be performed to appease Indra (Amitabh Bachchan) the God of Rain.
Paravasu (Jackie Schroff) is chosen by the villagers as the high priest to perform the yagna. But this choice is strongly opposed by his father Raibhya and cousin Yavakri (Nagarjuna) who has recently returned triumphant from the jungle with the gift of knowledge from the Gods.
| 听 |  | Milind and Nagarjuna
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A sub-plot comes in the form of Paravasu's fun-loving younger brother, Arvasu (Milind Soman) who is in love with Nittilai (Sonali Kulkarni), a tribal girl.
She is willing to stand by her man during the thick of any storm that might arise through their unapproved relationship. As Arvasu decides to get married, troubles ensue which forces him to choose between his love and duty.
| 听 |  | Milind and Sonali
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The twist comes when Parayasu devotes seven years of his life to the yagna thus forsaking his beautiful wife, family and every earthly pleasure. A deep sense of loneliness pervades his wife, Vishaka (Raveena Tandon) who becomes extremely vulnerable to the devious schemes of her father-in-law, Raibhya and cousin Yavakri.
To seek revenge against Paravasu and to reaffirm his position within the village, Yavakri seduces the lonely Vishaka.
What follows is a battle of wits which shows who will win in the end.
| 听 |  | The battle
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The screenplay is derived from the myth of Yavakri which forms part of the great Indian mythological epic call Mahabarata.
The whole film was shot from start to finish in a record time of 65 days under temperatures of 45 degrees in the shade! Heat, dust and insects became the constant companions for the actors.
| 听 |  | The ceremony
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Agni Varsha was recently given a prestigious screening at the Commonwealth Film Festival which was held in Manchester this May 2002. The film received a standing ovation at the end of its screening.
Has English subtitles.
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